Digital Commons Network^™

The Lgbti Community In The 2011 Queensland Floods: Marginality, Vulnerability And Resilience, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray, Sally Morris, Jessica Keppel, Scott J. Mckinnon, Dale Dominey-Howes

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Vulnerability to disasters is not inherent to particular social groups but results from existing marginality. Marginalisation from social, political and economic resources and recognition underpins vulnerability and impedes recovery. Yet concurrently, disasters can reveal the resilient capacities of some marginal groups, who often develop specific means of coping with marginality. This paper applies these perspective to the experiences of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex) sexual minorities during the 2011 disasters in Queensland, Australia. The findings come from a survey conducted by the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities (QAHC) a year after the floods. An agreement was established between QAHC …

Equity Under The Knife: Justice And Evidence In Surgery, Wendy Rogers, Christopher J. Degeling, Cynthia Townley

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Surgery is an increasingly common and expensive mode of medical intervention. The ethical dimensions of the surgeon-patient relationship, including respect for personal autonomy and informed consent, are much discussed; but broader equity issues have not received the same attention. This paper extends the understanding of surgical ethics by considering the nature of evidence in surgery and its relationship to a just provision of healthcare for individuals and their populations. 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Impact Of Early Childhood Education And Care On Improved Wellbeing, Edward Melhuish

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

My one suggested intervention for the new health and wellbeing boards is to focus resources on improving life chances in early childhood through the universal provision of early education centres that integrate education, child care, parenting support and health services. There are great differences in the health and development of individuals, linked to their social origins. Despite decades of social and educational reform, there has been little progress in equalising opportunities. The impact of social origins on child outcomes and wellbeing have persisted, and even increased. In this proposal I argue that: • Learning capabilities are primarily formed during the …

A Cross-National Comparison Of School Students' Perceptions Regarding High Performing Peers, Hyerim Oh, Margaret Sutherland, Niamh Stack, Maria Del Mar Badia Martín, Sheyla Blumen, Anh-Thu Nguyen Quoc, Catherine M. Wormald, Julie Maakrun, Barbara Baier, Martha Schmidt, Albert Ziegler

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This cross-national scenario based study examined fourth-grade students' perceptions of high-performing classmates in terms of their expected intellectual abilities, positive social qualities and popularity among their peers across seven countries. The overall results show that high academic achievements predominantly lead to positive expectations within the peer group. However, pronounced differences were found between the countries. The results indicated that students from Spanish-speaking countries viewed their potential high-performing peers most favorably, followed by students from Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany. The least favorable expectations, but by no means negative attitude, were exhibited by students from the two East-Asian countries Korea …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Exercise Mental Toughness: Perceptions Of Exercise Leaders And Regular Exercisers, Lee Crust, Christian F. Swann, Jacquelyn Allen-Collinson, Jeff Breckon, Robert Weinberg

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although elite sport has provided an ideal context for exploring mental toughness (MT), currently, there is scant research examining how this construct might be equally applicable in exercise settings, where high rates of attrition have been reported. The present research, therefore, aimed to address this gap, and to understand and conceptualise exercise mental toughness (EMT) through in-depth phenomenological interviews with a range of exercise leaders and exercise participants. Seven qualified and experienced exercise leaders and seven regular and frequent exercisers from formal exercise environments (i.e. gym and fitness classes) were interviewed. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed independently …

Prescription Medicines: Decision-Making Preferences Of Patients Who Receive Different Levels Of Public Subsidy, Jane Robertson, Evan Doran, David A. Henry, Glenn P. Salkeld

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective  To compare the relative importance of medicine attributes and decision-making preferences of patients with higher or lower levels of insurance coverage in a publicly funded health care system. Design and setting  Cross-sectional telephone survey of randomly selected regular medicine users aged ≥18 years in the Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia. Main variables studied  Questions about 27 medicine attributes and active involvement in decisions to start a new medicine. Results  After adjustment, there were few differences between the 408 concession card holders (high insurance) and 410 general beneficiaries (low insurance) in their assessment of the importance of medicine attributes. For both …

Qualitative Methods In Socio-Spatial Research, Phillip O'Neill, Pauline M. Mcguirk

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter explores the rationale for qualitative methods, the origins of qualitative research, and a number of important issues relating to the conduct of qualitative research. The chapter is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to qualitative methods in socio-spatial research. Rather its intention is stimulate the reader's interest in qualitative methods and encourage their pursuit in a rigorous effective manner. Comprehensive guides and key references to qualitative methods can be found in Crang (2003), Hay (2010) and Herbert et al (2009). Qualitative methods were developed in the 1980s and 1990s as an alternative way to make observations, collect …

Diverse Learners, Ann Kelly, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Kathleen Tanner

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter explores student populations in terms of their diversity and special needs and is designed to provide you with a broad grounding in this topic. Beginning with an overview of commonly used terminology in this field, the chapter moves to the learners themselves, providing key statistics and insights into various VET equity cohorts, including an understanding of how learners are 'officially' categorised and defined. The focus then changes to an analysis of key Commonwealth legislation and related policies in the area and an example of a State response. The final sections of the chapter are aimed at providing practical …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Ielts As A Gateway To The Professional Workplace: The Case Of Employers Of Overseas Trained Teachers, Jill Murray, Judie Cross, Kenneth E. Cruickshank

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on a qualitative study which explored stakeholder perceptions of the IELTS test as a gateway to the professional workplace for teachers in Australia and New Zealand. The goal of this study was to research perceptions of school principals as regards teachers who have entered the profession through IELTS or other English language proficiency test pathways and how the changing language demands of teaching may have impacted on these perceptions. Three research questions were addressed, with data for the study collected from 21 principals through their participation in one-to-one interviews and/or face-to-face focus groups. Five IELTS sample Speaking …

Geography And The Anthropocene Ii: Current Contributions, Noel Castree

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This and two companion papers (The Anthropocene and Geography I: The back story and The Anthropocene and Geography III: Future Directions) consider the relevance of 'the Anthropocene' to present and future research in Geography. Along with the concept of 'planetary boundaries', the idea that humanity has entered a new geological epoch of its own making is currently attracting considerable attention - both within and beyond the world of Earth surface science from whence both notions originate. This paper's predecessor detailed the invention and evolution of the two scientific neologisms, ending with a general discussion of their potential relevance to Geography. …

Breaking The Barriers: Supporting And Engaging Mature Age First-Infamily University Learners And Their Families, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Cathy Stone, Josephine May

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This nuts and bolts session will report on preliminary findings from research currently being conducted with older, first-in-family university students. This student cohort often has family commitments and so the research was specifically interested in the impacts of returning to education for both the students and their family members. The study is significant because mature age/first-in-family students are often at risk of attrition and they also represent a growing student cohort; hence higher education institutions need to be actively engaging with this group to improve retention and explore the possibilities for intergenerational educational participation. This research has been funded under …

Ripples Of Learning -Higher Education Participation, Familial Habitus, Gender And First In Family Female Students, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Josephine May, Cathy Stone

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the Gender and Education Association Asia Pacific Biennial Interim Conference, 9-11 December 2014, Melbourne, Australia

Internationalization Of The Curriculum Through Student-Led Climate Change Teaching Activity, Helen V. Mcgregor, Beth O'Shea, Christine J. Brewer, Pamela A. Abuodha, Emma Pharo

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Internationalization of the curriculum is important in today's globalized environment, with the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of complex issues, such as climate change, requiring students to think beyond their disciplinary and cultural boundaries. Here we introduce a novel cross-discipline and cross-country activity with the overall goal to expose students to an international environmental problem (climate change) that requires an awareness of different perspectives, so as to contribute to their development of responsible global citizenship through internationalization of the curriculum. Students studying in Australia and the United States of America completed an anonymous survey on their climate change perceptions, and then the …

Food Patterns Of Australian Children Ages 9 To 13 Y In Relation To Ω-3 Long Chain Polyunsaturated Intake, Setyaningrum Rahmawaty, Philippa Lyons-Wall, Marijka Batterham, Karen Charlton, Barbara J. Meyer

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine food patterns of Australian children ages 9 to 13 y in relation to ω-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω-3 LCPUFA) intake.

Methods: Secondary analysis was conducted on nationally representative food data of 1110 Australian children ages 9 to 13 y (525 boys and 585 girls) that was obtained using two 24-h recalls. Principle component factor analysis was used to identify food patterns. Discriminant function analysis was used to identify the relationship between the food patterns and total ω-3 LCPUFA intake.

Results: Four major food patterns emerged for each sex. For boys …

Cross Sectional Survey Of Human-Bat Interaction In Australia: Public Health Implications, Beverley J. Paterson, Michelle T. Butler, Keith Eastwood, Patrick M. Cashman, Alison Jones, David N. Durrheim

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background Flying foxes (megachiroptera) and insectivorous microbats (microchiroptera) are the known reservoirs for a range of recently emerged, highly pathogenic viruses. In Australia there is public health concern relating to bats' role as reservoirs of Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV), which has clinical features identical to classical rabies. Three deaths from ABLV have occurred in Australia. A survey was conducted to determine the frequency of bat exposures amongst adults in Australia's most populous state, New South Wales; explore reasons for handling bats; examine reported practices upon encountering injured or trapped bats or experiencing bat bites or scratches; and investigate knowledge of …

Development And Pilot Testing Of A Decision Aid For Drivers With Dementia, John Carmody, Jan Potter, Kate Lewis, Sanjay Bhargava, Victoria Traynor, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background: An increasing number of older adults drive automobiles. Given that the prevalence of dementia is rising, it is necessary to address the issue of driving retirement. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how a self-administered decision aid contributed to decision making about driving retirement by individuals living with dementia. The primary outcome measure in this study was decisional conflict. Knowledge, decision, satisfaction with decision, booklet use and booklet acceptability were the secondary outcome measures. Methods: A mixed methods approach was adopted. Drivers with dementia were recruited from an Aged Care clinic and a Primary Care center in …

Understanding Place As 'Home' And 'Away' Through Practices Of Bird-Watching, Carrie Wilkinson, Gordon R. Waitt, Leah Maree Gibbs

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Bird-watching is an increasingly popular leisure activity. Previous research has taken for granted the identity of people who watch birds, often categorised by their level of skilled practice as 'dude', 'birder' or 'twitcher'. Feminist geographers encourage us to explore identity work as an outcome of the reciprocal relationships between practices and place. Our feminist approach illustrates that the practices of bird-watching are always much more than categorising birds as species. This paper illustrates how the practices of bird-watching are integral to the making and remaking of sense of place as 'home' and 'away', to sustain identities beyond accepted categories of …

Lessons Learned From Pilot Testing An Experimental Communication Intervention: Generation Y And Park Benefits, Betty Weiler, Brent Moyle, Monica Torland, Isabelle D. Wolf, Mieke Witsel

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports a series of lessons learned from pilot testing an experimental intervention that aimed to shift Gen Y's perceptions of the cultural and heritage benefits of parks. Designed in collaboration with the Office of Environment and Heritage in NSW and delivered via the OEH website, the intervention took respondents on a controlled virtual tour of two national parks, Ku-ring-gai Chase in the Sydney metropolitan area and Mutawintji in outback NSW, both rich in Australian culture and heritage. Overall, the intervention was viewed as successful in impacting respondents' perceptions of the benefits of parks, and will be used in …

Concerns About Partner Infidelity Are A Barrier To Adoption Of Hiv-Prevention Strategies Among Young South African Couples, Lisa Parker, Audrey Pettifor, Suzanne Maman, Jabu Sibeko, Catherine L. Mac Phail

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

As part of a larger study to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a couples-based HIV-prevention intervention, we conducted formative in-depth interviews with 10 couples to explore topics such as challenges in practising safer sex, HIV-prevention strategies, gender power and violence, and issues of trust and infidelity. In this study, both men and women perceived infidelity as ubiquitous in their social context and were therefore unable to discuss HIV risk and prevention without suspicions of infidelity in their own relationship. This impacted couples' ability openly and effectively to discuss strategies to prevent HIV and thus may have contributed to the …

Validity Of The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 To Screen For Depression In A High-Hiv Burden Primary Healthcare Clinic In Johannesburg, South Africa, R Cholera, B Gaynes, B Pence, J Bassett, N Qangule, Catherine L. Mac Phail, S Bernhardt, Audrey Pettifor, William Miller

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Integration of depression screening into primary care may increase access to mental health services in sub-Saharan Africa, but this approach requires validated screening instruments. We sought to validate the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) as a depression screening tool at a high HIV-burden primary care clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa. Methods We conducted a validation study of an interviewer-administered PHQ-9 among 397 patients. Sensitivity and specificity of the PHQ-9 were calculated with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) as the reference standard; receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed. Results The prevalence of depression was 11.8%. One-third of participants …

Bidirectional Links Between Hiv And Intimate Partner Violence In Pregnancy: Implications For Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission, Abigail M. Hatcher, Nataly Woollett, Christina Pallitto, Keneuoe Mokoatle, Heidi Stockl, Catherine L. Mac Phail, Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Claudia Garcia-Moreno

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Introduction: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) has the potential to eliminate new HIV infections among infants. Yet in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, PMTCT coverage remains low, leading to unacceptably high rates of morbidity among mothers and new infections among infants. Intimate partner violence (IPV) may be a structural driver of poor PMTCT uptake, but has received little attention in the literature to date.Methods: We conducted qualitative research in three Johannesburg antenatal clinics to understand the links between IPV HIV-related health of pregnant women. We held focus group discussions with pregnant women (n =13) alongside qualitative interviews with health …

Early In-Session Cognitive-Emotional Problem-Solving Predicts 12-Month Outcomes In Depression With Personality Disorder, Kye L. Mccarthy, Erhardt Mergenthaler, Brin F. S Grenyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Therapist-patient verbalizations reveal complex cognitive-emotional linguistic data. How these variables contribute to change requires further research. Emotional-cognitive text analysis using the Ulm cycles model software was applied to transcripts of the third session of psychotherapy for 20 patients with depression and personality disorder. Results showed that connecting cycle sequences of problem-solving in the third hour predicted 12-month clinical outcomes. Therapist-patient dyads most improved spent significantly more time early in session in connecting cycles, whilst the least improved moved into connecting cycles late in session. For this particular sample, it was clear that positive emotional problem-solving in therapy was beneficial.

What Is Good Parenting? The Perspectives Of Different Professionals, Philippa M. Eve, Mitchell K. Byrne, Cinzia R. Gagliardi,

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Defining parenting, and good parenting in particular, is a complex task wrought with ambiguities. This creates problems in agreeing on a standard parenting capacity assessment, particularly in relation to strengths as opposed to weaknesses. To address this lack of consensus, the current study explored the convergence and divergence of different professional groups' opinions on good parenting. A mixed-methods design was employed, with semi-structured interviews and rating scales administered to 19 professionals with experience in parenting capacity assessments. Data were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory. The findings suggest that, in general, professionals agree on main themes of good parenting, including …

Ethnic Diversity Within Australian Homes: Has Television Caught Up To Social Reality?, Natascha Klocker

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Inter-ethnic intimacy is on the rise in Australia, bringing an unprecedented level of ethnic diversity into our homes. Yet analyses of media representations of ethnic diversity have concentrated on the community level, neglecting the intimate sphere of family life. This paper explores the possibilities and limits of love within and across ethnic boundaries on fictional Australian television programmes. The results of a nine-week content analysis reveal a mixed picture. Inter-ethnic intimacy was regularly portrayed; but committed, long-term relationships across ethnic boundaries (marriage and co-habitation) were scarce. And although Australian television producers did not shy away from portraying physical intimacy across …

Learning Wisdom Through Collectivity: The Women Writing Women Collective, Luanne Armstrong, Barbara Bickel, Lynn Fels, Gillian Gerhard, Alyson Hoy, Nane Jordan, Wendy S. Nielsen, Annie Smith, Jeannie Stubbs, Valerie Triggs

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Women Writing Women Collective was a collegial and collaborative response to the isolation that is often experienced by women scholars as they pursue their academic careers. For 5 years, a group of women gathered on a monthly basis to share their writing. In doing so, the group members provided a sounding board for each other as they engaged with writing and scholarship through reflective, reciprocal, and responsible critique and curiosity. As a writing collective, we began to recognize and deconstruct specific institutional constraints, practices, and theoretical stances that had influenced our perspectives and experiences of what it means to …

Being A Girl In A Boys' World: Investigating The Experiences Of Girls With Autism Spectrum Disorders During Adolescence, Elizabeth Kate Cridland, Sandra C. Jones, Peter Caputi, Christopher Magee

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study investigates the experiences of adolescent girls with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) during adolescence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three mother–daughter dyads and two additional mothers. A range of issues were highlighted covering physical, emotional, social and sexual domains. Some of these issues were similar to those experienced by boys with ASD during adolescence, such as negative implications of late diagnosis, challenges of transitioning to and coping with high school, ‘hands-on’ role of parents into adolescence, difficulties adjusting to the increased demands of adolescent hygiene routines, and the importance of learning personal boundaries in interactions with others. Other issues …

Efficacy Of Nutrition As Medication In Malnourished Hospitalised Patients Is Strongly Influenced By Environmental Factors, Kelly Lambert, Jan Potter, Maureen Lonergan, Linda Tapsell, Karen Charlton

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aim To evaluate the use of Nutrition as Medication (NAM) as a dietary intervention strategy in a sample of malnourished renal and geriatric hospital inpatients. Methods In the study period of 1 July to 30 August 2009, patients admitted to the acute renal or geriatric wards of a large general hospital and assessed as malnourished or at risk of malnutrition and suitable to commence NAM were eligible for inclusion in this pilot clinical cohort study. Medication charts of the study patients were audited and opportunistic observations of patients receiving NAM were conducted. Comparisons of receival and refusal rates of NAM …

Increasing Specificity Of Correlate Research: Exploring Correlates Of Children's Lunchtime And After-School Physical Activity, Rebecca M. Stanley, Kate Ridley, Timothy Olds, James Dollman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background The lunchtime and after-school contexts are critical windows in a school day for children to be physically active. While numerous studies have investigated correlates of children's habitual physical activity, few have explored correlates of physical activity occurring at lunchtime and after-school from a social-ecological perspective. Exploring correlates that influence physical activity occurring in specific contexts can potentially improve the prediction and understanding of physical activity. Using a context-specific approach, this study investigated correlates of children's lunchtime and after-school physical activity. Methods Cross-sectional data were collected from 423 South Australian children aged 10.0-13.9 years (200 boys; 223 girls) attending 10 …

Mastery, Autonomy And Transformational Approaches To Coaching: Common Features And Applications, Stewart Vella, Dana Perlman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this paper is to provide a concise resource for coaches, coach educators, and coaching scientists by reviewing three common approaches to coaching: the mastery approach to coaching; autonomy-supportive coaching; and the transformational leadership approach to coaching. The theoretical foundations, purpose, evidence base, specified behaviours, and translation into coaching and coach education of each approach are reviewed. Despite diverse theoretical foundations and variations in purpose, there is some overlap in the coaching behaviours prescribed by each approach. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support the use of the three approaches in coach education and this is detrimental …

Eyes-Closed Vs. Eyes-Open Eeg In Young And Older Adults, Robert Barry, Frances M. De Blasio, Adele E. Cave

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 17th World Congress of Psychophysiology (IOP2014) of the International Organization of Psychophysiology (IOP) Hiroshima, Japan, September 23rd to 27th, 2014