Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Results Of The First Steps Study: A Randomised Controlled Trial And Economic Evaluation Of The Group Family Nurse Partnership (Gfnp) Programme Compared With Usual Care In Improving Outcomes For High-Risk Mothers And Their Children And Preventing Abuse, Jacqueline Barnes, Jane Stuart, Elizabeth Allen, Stephen Petrou, Joanna Sturgess, Jane Barlow, Geraldine Macdonald, Helen Spiby, Dipti Aistrop, Edward Melhuish, Sungwook Kim, Joshua Pink, Jessica Datta, Diana Elbourne

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Overdiagnosis, Ethics, And Trolley Problems: Why Factors Other Than Outcomes Matter-An Essay, Stacy M. Carter

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In February 2014, the non-governmental Swiss Medical Board recommended that mammography programmes in Switzerland may eventually be closed down because they might not deliver more benefits than harms. In the resulting uproar the board was accused of being "unethical." Controversy about mammography has persisted in the UK, US, Canada, and elsewhere, and disputes about overdiagnosis exist in prostate cancer, chronic kidney disease, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and many other conditions. People concerned about overdiagnosis are compelled by evidence of harms outweighing benefits. But not everyone is equally compelled. This may be because of disagreements over the evidence, conflicts of interest, or …

Fostering Effective Early Learning: A Review Of The Current International Evidence Considering Quality In Early Childhood Education And Care Programmes - In Delivery, Pedagogy And Child Outcomes, Iram Siraj, Denise Kingston, Cathrine Marguerite Neilsen-Hewett, Steven J. Howard, Edward Melhuish, Marc De Rosnay, Elisabeth Duursma, Betty Luu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Executive Summary There is a large body of international academic research literature which examines the relationship between (i) early childhood education and care (ECEC) and (ii) children's developmental and learning outcomes. Decades of sustained international research by many different research groups demonstrate that children who attend ECEC are likely to experience better behavioural and learning outcomes than those who do not attend. The research findings are, of course, not always consistent, and are more robust over shorter measurement periods. Nevertheless, major national surveys (e.g. OECD, 2011) and ambitious longitudinal research projects (e.g. the EPPSE study, Sylva et al., 2014) document …

Physical Activity And Fitness Outcomes Of A Lifestyle Intervention For Primary Care Patients With Depression And Anxiety: A Randomised Controlled Trial, Adrienne Forsyth, Frank P. Deane, Peter G. Williams

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Patients currently being treated for depression and/or anxiety were referred by their GP and randomised to a 12-week individually tailored diet and exercise lifestyle intervention or an attention control group. Assessments at baseline and 12 weeks included the Active Australia Survey for self-reported physical activity, chair stands, arm curls and a 3-min step test to measure physical fitness. Intent-to-treat analyses using linear mixed modelling showed both groups significantly improved participation in physical activity and muscular endurance. There were no significant differences in improvement between groups. The only group by time interaction was found for body mass index and indicated greater …

Fostering Effective Early Learning (Feel) Through A Professional Development Programme For Early Childhood Educators To Improve Professional Practice And Child Outcomes In The Year Before Formal Schooling: Study Protocol For A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial, Edward Melhuish, Steven J. Howard, Iram Siraj, Cathrine Marguerite Neilsen-Hewett, Denise Kingston, Marc De Rosnay, Elisabeth Duursma, Betty Luu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: A substantial research base documents the benefits of attendance at high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) for positive behavioural and learning outcomes. Research has also found that the quality of many young children's experiences and opportunities in ECEC depends on the skills, dispositions and understandings of the early childhood adult educators. Increasingly, research has shown that the quality of children's interactions with educators and their peers, more than any other programme feature, influence what children learn and how they feel about learning. Hence, we sought to investigate the extent to which evidence-based professional development (PD) - focussed on …

Leading School Communities To Implement A Sustainable School-Wide Model Leading To Enhancing Learning Outcomes For Students With Asd, Amanda A. Webster, Jane Wilkinson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The crucial role of school leaders in inclusive schools for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has received more attention in recent years. A pilot study was conducted in three Australian/Queensland schools to trial a shared model of school leadership in implementing a whole school approach for students with ASD. Schools established an ASD leadership team, which was headed up by the school principal and head of special education (HOSE) but also included a classroom teacher, and a parent of a child with ASD. Together the principal and HOSE led the team in assessing their current practices and establishing an …

Participatory Or Deliberative Democracy? Exploring The Mediation Effects Of Perceived Online Deliberation And Online Interactive Activities On Social Outcomes, Kyung Han You, Jeong Kyu Lee, Hyunjin Kang, Eun Go

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Using the structural equation modeling method (N = 811), this study explores the structural relationships among online news consumption, political participation and social trust, with a focus on the mediating effects of online users' deliberative perceptions and news-related online interactive activities. The analysis confirms that users' perceptions of online deliberation exert a significant mediating effect on users' levels of news consumption, political participation, and social trust. Users' interactive civic messaging behaviors, on the other hand, solely enhance participatory intentions. The findings also show that the consumption of political news and the consumption of entertainment news have different effects on users' …

Unintended Outcomes Of University-Community Partnerships: Building Organizational Capacity With Pace International Partners, Kate Lloyd, Lindie Clark, Laura Ann Hammersley, Michaela Baker, Felicity Rawlings-Sanaei, Emily D'Ath

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Professional and Community Engagement (PACE) at Macquarie University provides experiential opportunities for students and staff to contribute to more just, inclusive and sustainable societies by engaging in activities with partner organizations. PACE International offers a range of opportunities with partners overseas. Underpinning PACE is a commitment to mutually beneficial learning and engagement. To align with this commitment, PACE-related research engages partner perspectives and those of students and academics. The dearth of scholarly research on partner perspectives of community engagement (Bringle, Clayton & Price, 2009) underscores this imperative. Drawing on interviews and focus groups with partner representatives this article examines some …

Transforming Assessment Practice: Evidencing And Benchmarking Student Learning Outcomes In Chemistry, Siegbert Schmid, Simon Bernard Bedford, Adam Bridgeman, Glennys A. O'Brien, Ian Jamie, Gwen Lawrie, Kieran Lim, Samuel Priest, Simon Pyke, Madeleine Schultz, Daniel Southam

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

Higher Education in Australia is in a phase of rapid change due to a number of regulatory changes. Over the past five years the Australian Chemistry community has agreed on a list of Chemistry Threshold Learning Outcomes (CTLOs) that every student graduating from an Australian University will have attained. In addition, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) has changed its accreditation process for Chemistry degrees and now uses these CTLOs as the basis for accreditation. Therefore, it is now paramount to ensure that our assessment items allow students to demonstrate attainment of the CTLOs during a degree [1]. The "Assessing …

Building The Capacity Of Schools To Achieve Outcomes For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Project, Amanda A. Webster, Jacqueline R. Roberts

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The number of students with ASD attending mainstream schools has increased dramatically over the past decade. Teachers are reporting they often feel ill-equipped and anxious about meeting the needs of students with ASD in their classroom (Emam & Farrell, 2009). In addition, parents are increasingly expressing frustration with the quantity and quality of support their children with ASD are receiving in school settings and are increasingly resorting to home schooling and other alternative options to meet the needs of their children (Parsons, Lewis, & Ellins, 2009). Finally, school principals have also reported they lack training and information on how to …

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.

The Effects Of Fathers' And Mothers' Reading To Their Children On Language Outcomes Of Children Participating In Early Head Start In The United States, Anna E. Duursma

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

It is well known that reading aloud affects children 's language and literacy development. Little is known though, about fathers reading to their children. This study examined paternal and maternal bookreading frequency among 430 low-income families and investigated whether paternal bookreading and maternal bookreading predicted children 's early language and cognitive development and emergent literacy skills. Results demonstrated that mothers read more frequently to their toddlers than fathers but approximately 55% of fathers reported reading at least weekly to their children. Paternal bookreading at 24 and 36 months significantly predicted children's language and cognitive skills at age 36 months as …

Reconnecting Urban Planning With Health: A Protocol For The Development And Validation Of National Liveability Indicators Associated With Noncommunicable Disease Risk Behaviours And Health Outcomes, Billie Giles-Corti, Hannah M. Badland, Suzanne Mavoa, Gavin Turrell, Fiona Bull, Bryan Boruff, Christopher Pettit, Adrian E. Bauman, Paula Hooper, Karen Villanueva, Thomas Astell-Burt, Xiaoqi Feng, Vincent Learnihan, R Davey, Rob Grenfell, Sarah Thackway

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aim: Liveable communities create the conditions to optimise health and wellbeing outcomes in residents by influencing various social determinants of health - for example, neighbourhood walkability and access to public transport, public open space, local amenities, and social and community facilities. This study will develop national liveability indicators that are (a) aligned with state and federal urban policy, (b) developed using national data (where available), (c) standard and consistent over time, (d) suitable for monitoring progress towards creating more liveable, equitable and sustainable communities, (e) validated against selected noncommunicable disease risk behaviours and/or health outcomes, and (f) practical for measuring …

A Longitudinal Examination Of The Outcomes For Gifted Students In The Wollongong Youth Study, Wilma Vialle, Steven J. Howard

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 14th International ECHA Conference, 17-20 September, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The Feasibility Of Telephone Follow-Up Interviews For Monitoring Treatment Outcomes Of Australian Residential Drug And Alcohol Treatment Programs, Frank Deane, Peter James Kelly, Trevor Crowe, Geoffrey Lyons, Elizabeth Kate Cridland

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Telephone follow-up interviewing is one method of monitoring treatment outcomes of individuals involved in drug and alcohol treatment programs. The present study is the first to examine the feasibility and generalizability of data obtained from telephone follow-up interviews after drug and alcohol treatment in Australia. Methods: Participants attended 1 of 8 Salvation Army Recovery Service Centres where staff administered outcome measures at intake. Three-month postdischarge telephone follow-up interviews were conducted by researchers from the Illawarra Institute for Mental Health, University of Wollongong. Results: A sample of 700 clients was obtained for follow-up (582 males; 118 females). A 51% follow-up …

Disinvestment Policy And The Public Funding Of Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Outcomes Of Deliberative Engagements With Three Key Stakeholder Groups, Katherine Hodgetts, Janet E. Hiller, Jackie M. Street, D Carter, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer, Amber M. Watt, John R. Moss, Adam Elshaug

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

Measures to improve the quality and sustainability of healthcare practice and provision have become a policy concern. In addition, the involvement of stakeholders in health policy decision-making has been advocated, as complex questions arise around the structure of funding arrangements in a context of limited resources. Using a case study of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), deliberative engagements with a range of stakeholder groups were held on the topic of how best to structure the distribution of Australian public funding in this domain.

Methods

Deliberative engagements were carried out with groups of ART consumers, clinicians and community members. The forums …

Assessment Of Psychosocial Outcomes In Adolescents And Young Adults With Cancer: A Systematic Review Of Available Instruments, Claire E. Wakefield, Pandora Patterson, Fiona Ej Mcdonald, Helen L. Wilson, Esther L. Davis, Ursula Sansom-Daly

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Given the burgeoning body of research relating to the psychosocial needs of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer, this review aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and appropriateness of the instruments available for use in this unique population. Specifically, we reviewed published instruments developed to assess psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress, and fear of recurrence), psychological growth (resilience, posttraumatic growth, and benefit finding), unmet needs, coping, quality of life, identity, and mindfulness-based practices and skills in AYAs with cancer. Given the dearth of validated instruments targeting AYAs with cancer, this review also provides a summary of promising measures yet …

Improving Academic Outcomes: Does Participating In Online Discussion Forums Payoff?, Charles Carceller, Shane Dawson, Lori Lockyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on a study investigating the potential relationship between a student's discussion forum activity and their academic performance. The study also examined the influence of the delivery method (i.e. blended or fully online) on the impact that forum participation may have on a student's final mark. To address these aims, student forum participation data and teaching delivery method were extracted from the universities Learning Management System (LMS). The analysis identified that students who actively participate in their teaching unit's discussion forum are more likely to achieve a higher final mark than those that do not participate. It was …

First Steps: Study Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial Of The Effectiveness Of The Group Family Nurse Partnership (Gfnp) Program Compared To Routine Care In Improving Outcomes For High-Risk Mothers And Their Children And Preventing Abuse, Jacqueline Barnes, Dipti Aistrop, Elizabeth Allen, Jane Barlow, Diana Elbourne, Geraldine Macdonald, Edward Melhuish, Stavros Petrou, Joshua Pink, Claire Snowdon, Helen Spiby, Jane Stuart, Joanna Sturgess

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

Evidence from the USA suggests that the home-based Family Nurse Partnership program (FNP), extending from early pregnancy until infants are 24 months, can reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect throughout childhood. FNP is now widely available in the UK. A new variant, Group Family Nurse Partnership (gFNP) offers similar content but in a group context and for a shorter time, until infants are 12 months old. Each group comprises 8 to 12 women with similar expected delivery dates and their partners. Its implementation has been established but there is no evidence of its effectiveness.

Methods/Design

The study …

A Study Of Current Maintenance Strategies And The Reliability Of Critical Medical Equipment In Hospitals In Relation To Patient Outcomes, Khelood Mkalaf, Peter Gibson, John Flanagan

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This study investigates the relationship between the reliability of critical medical equipment (CME) and the effectiveness of CME maintenance management strategies in relation to patient outcomes in 84 public hospitals of a top 20 OECD country. The work has examined the effectiveness of CME maintenance management strategies used by the public hospital system of a large state run health organization. The conceptual framework was designed to examine the significance of the relationship between six variables: (1) types of maintenance management strategies, (2) maintenance services, (3) maintenance practice, (4) medical equipment reliability, (5) maintenance costs and (6) patient outcomes. The results …

A High Prevalence Of Malnutrition In Acute Geriatric Patients Predicts Adverse Clinical Outcomes And Mortality Within 12 Months, Karen E. Charlton, Marijka J. Batterham, Steven Bowden, Abhijeet Ghosh, Katherine Caldwell, Lilliana Barone, Michelle Mason, J. Potter, Barbara Meyer, Marianna Milosavljevic

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

Background & aims Older malnourished patients experience increased length of hospital stay and greater morbidity compared to their well nourished counterparts. This study aimed to assess whether nutritional status at hospital admission predicted clinical outcomes at 12 months follow-up. Methods Secondary data analysis of 2602 consecutive patient admissions to an acute tertiary hospital in New South Wales, Australia on or before 1st June 2009. Twelve-month data was analysed in a sub-sample of 774 patients. Nutritional status was determined within 72 h of admission using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Outcomes, obtained from electronic patient records included hospital readmission rate, total …

Influences On Students' Attainment And Progress In Key Stage 3: Academic Outcomes In English, Maths And Science In Year 9, Pam Sammons, Kathy Sylva, Edward Melhuish, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Brenda Taggart, Katalin Toth, Diana Draghici, Rebecca Smees

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education Project (EPPSE) has investigated the academic and social-behavioural development of approximately 3,000 children from the age of 3+ years since 1997. This Research Brief focuses on the relationships between a range of individual student, family, home, pre-, primary and secondary school characteristics and students' academic attainment in English, maths and science in Year 9 at secondary school (age 14). It compares the latest findings with those found for students' attainment at younger ages. It also highlights the influences of secondary school on students' attainment in the core curriculum areas and studies their academic …

A Comparison Of Treatment Outcomes For Individuals With Substance Use Disorder Alone And Individuals With Probable Dual Diagnosis, Elizabeth K. Cridland, Frank P. Deane, Ching-I Hsu, Peter J. Kelly

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The co-occurrence of substance use and mental health problems, often referred to as dual diagnosis (DD), is increasingly recognised as commonplace within substance abuse treatment programs. Two-hundred and thirty-four individuals from 9 Australian Salvation Army drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs completed a 3-month post-discharge telephone follow-up. Using a cut-off score from the Psychiatric Subscale of the Addiction Severity Index (5th ed.), 66.7% were classified as likely to have DD and 33.3% as substance use disorder only (SUD). Both groups reported comparable and decreased substance use levels at follow-up, yet DD individuals perceived less improvement in substance use problems. Comparable improvements …

Influences On Students' Development In Key Stage 3: Social-Behavioural Outcomes In Year 9, Pam Sammons, Kathy Sylva, Edward Melhuish, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Brenda Taggart, Diana Draghici, Rebecca Smees, Katalin Toth

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education Project (EPPSE) has investigated the cognitive and social-behavioural development of approximately 3,000 children from the age of 3+ years since 1997. This Research Brief focuses on the relationships between a range of child, family, home, pre-, primary and secondary school characteristics and students' social-behavioural development in Year 9 at secondary school (age 14). It compares these latest findings with those found for social-behavioural development at younger ages, highlights the specific influences of secondary school on students' social-behavioural outcomes in Year 9 and changes in these developmental outcomes between the ages of 11 and …

Improving Cancer Outcomes Among Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Communities: A Rapid Review Of The Literature, Lyn Phillipson, Karen Larsen-Truong, Sandra Jones, Leissa Pitts

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This Evidence Check review examined the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic speaking communities in Australia in relation to cancer, its causes, screening, treatments, perceptions of susceptibility, and perceived outcomes. The review explores fear, stigma, taboos, and the role of family, as well as the evidence of effectiveness of cancer prevention, detection and treatment interventions. There are significant gaps in the evidence base.

Inclusion Of Mobile Phone Numbers Into An Ongoing Population Health Survey In New South Wales, Australia: Design, Methods, Call Outcomes, Costs And Sample Representativeness, Margo Barr, Jason J. Van Ritten, David G. Steel, Sarah V. Thackway

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Background: In Australia telephone surveys have been the method of choice for ongoing jurisdictional population health surveys. Although it was estimated in 2011 that nearly 20% of the Australian population were mobile-only phone users, the inclusion of mobile phone numbers into these existing landline population health surveys has not occurred. This paper describes the methods used for the inclusion of mobile phone numbers into an existing ongoing landline random digit dialling (RDD) health survey in an Australian state, the New South Wales Population Health Survey (NSWPHS). This paper also compares the call outcomes, costs and the representativeness of the resultant …

Calculating Clinically Significant Change: Applications Of The Clinical Global Impressions (Cgi) Scale To Evaluate Client Outcomes In Private Practice, Peter Kelly

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale is a therapist-rated measure of client outcome that has been widely used within the research literature. The current study aimed to develop reliable and clinically significant change indices for the CGI, and to demonstrate its application in private psychological practice. Following the guidelines developed by Clement, a file review was conducted of the authors’ first six years working in private practice. A reliable change on the CGI required the participants score to change by 2-points. Depending on the method used to calculate the clinical change indices, between 23% and 50% of the total participants …

The Quality Of Group Childcare Settings Used By 3-4 Year Old Children In Sure Start Local Programme Areas And The Relationship With Child Outcomes, Edward Melhuish, Jay Belsky, Kristen Macpherson, Andrew Cullis

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs), now Sure Start Children's Centres, aim to support young children and their families by integrating early education, childcare, healthcare and family support services in disadvantaged areas. SSLPs aim to improve the health and well-being of families and young children, so that children will have greater oppor tunity to do well in school and later life. This study investigates pre-school group childcare (ch ildminders were not include d) used by children in 150 SSLP areas, and makes comparisons with childcare used by children in England overall. Also the study investigates links between childcare quality and child …

Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention: Outcomes Associated With A Differential Response Program In California, Amy Conley Wright, Jill Duerr Berrick

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Traditionally, the American child welfare system intervenes in cases of evident and severe maltreatment. Families in need of help, but who have not reached a crisis, are excluded from typical services. Some suggest that if these families were served, few would be rereferred to the child welfare system. California's Differential Response (DR) has three tracks, of which ''Track 1'' targets families screened out of child protective services (CPS) and refers them to agencies that provide voluntary, home-based services and referrals. This study examined child-welfare trajectories for families receiving Track 1 DR services in one California county. Using survival analysis, treatment …

Cardiovascular Absolute Risk Assessment And Management Engagement And Outcomes In General Practice Patients, Qing Wan, Nicholas Zwar, Sanjyot Vagholkar, Terry Campbell, Mark Fort Harris

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

Despite a decline in recent decades, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the major cause of death and disability in Australia.1,2 To improve primary prevention of CVD, many clinical guidelines recommend using cardiovascular absolute risk (CVAR) assessment to guide risk factor management.3-6 Cardiovascular absolute risk assessment predicts the overall risk of a cardiovascular event over a given time period (usually 5 or 10 years). However, use of CVAR is limited and has not been incorporated well in routine general practice.7-9 There has been little research on CVAR implementation and an effective implementation strategy has been lacking.10