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Full-Text Articles in Psychology
The Specific Environmental Antecedents Of Anxiety And Depression Among Australian University Students: Development Of The Effects Of University Study On Lifestyle Questionnaire, Vicki Bitsika, Christoper Sharpley, Leslie Hartley
The Specific Environmental Antecedents Of Anxiety And Depression Among Australian University Students: Development Of The Effects Of University Study On Lifestyle Questionnaire, Vicki Bitsika, Christoper Sharpley, Leslie Hartley
Vicki Bitsika
A 60-item scale of stressors that had been developed from interviews with 32 individual students was evaluated by administration to 402 students at an Australian university. As well as data that showed frequency of stressor occurrence to be a more powerful predictor of anxiety and depression than degree of discomfort that the stressor induced, psychometric data from this participant sample enabled refinement of the original scale by deleting several items, thus producing a 42-item scale for further investigation. Implications for use of the scale to identify the "causal" stressors which students experience and which lead to anxiety and depression, are …
Gender Differences In Factor Scores Of Anxiety And Depression Among Australian University Students: Implications For Counselling Interventions, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Therese Melhem
Gender Differences In Factor Scores Of Anxiety And Depression Among Australian University Students: Implications For Counselling Interventions, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Therese Melhem
Vicki Bitsika
Anxiety and depression inventory scores from 200 male and female university students attending a private university in Australia were examined for their factor structure. Once established, the two sets of factors were tested for gender-based differences, revealing that females were more likely than males to report symptomatology associated with pain and fatigue, sleeping and digestive problems, psychomotor agitation, confusion, and pessimism. Implications for counsellors are discussed.
The Role Of Melancholia In Prostate Cancer Patients' Depression, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie
The Role Of Melancholia In Prostate Cancer Patients' Depression, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie
Vicki Bitsika
Background: Although it is well established that prostate cancer (PCa) patients are more likely to experience clinical depression than their age-matched non-prostate cancer peers, and that such depression can have negative effects upon survival, little is known about the underlying nature of the depressive symptomatology that these men experience. In particular, the incidence of melancholic symptoms of depression, which are signs of increased risk of suicide and resistance to treatment, has not previously been reported in PCa patients. The present study aimed to measure the incidence and nature of Melancholia in PCa depression.
Method: A sample of 507 …
Understanding The Causes Of Depression Among Prostate Cancer Patients: Development Of The Effects Of Prostate Cancer On Lifestyle Questionnaire, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie
Understanding The Causes Of Depression Among Prostate Cancer Patients: Development Of The Effects Of Prostate Cancer On Lifestyle Questionnaire, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie
Vicki Bitsika
Objective: Depression among prostate cancer patients remains a major source of distress for them and their families, has been linked with suicide, and has been shown to contribute to poorer longterm treatment outcomes. Most psychological assessment strategies focus upon the presence of depressive symptomatology without identifying the specific causal antecedents that lead to depression among this patient group, although this underlies effective individually-oriented treatment planning and delivery.
Method: 150 prostate cancer patients completed self reports on anxiety, depression and lifestyle changes that they had experienced as a result of receiving a diagnosis of, and treatment for their cancer. The principal …
Psychological Distress Among Prostate Cancer Patients: Fact Or Fiction?, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie
Psychological Distress Among Prostate Cancer Patients: Fact Or Fiction?, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie
Vicki Bitsika
Although the detrimental effect upon psychological well-being of receiving a diagnosis of, or treatment for, cancer has been demonstrated across many different types of cancer, three recent reviews of the psychological health of prostate cancer patients have produced contradictory conclusions. In order to elucidate the reasons for these apparent different conclusions, each of these reviews is described, with principal methods and fi ndings summarised. Actual data, methodology used to select/reject research studies for inclusion in reviews, plus the validity of strict methodological culling of some research studies are discussed. Several extra studies and commentaries are also described, and a resolution …
Including An Analysis Of Difficult Behaviour In The Assessment Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder: Implications For School Psychologists, Vicki Bitsika
Vicki Bitsika
School psychologists who contribute to the assessment of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are required by various Australian state government authorities to use standardised testing of cognitive skills, adaptive behaviour and some autism-based symptomatology to demonstrate the eligibility of those children for support funding in the school environment. However, this process does not always address the needs of parents and teachers for detailed and particular analysis of the reasons for the pervasive behavioural difficulties often shown by children with an ASD. Such difficult behaviour has been shown to contribute to high levels of stress among caregivers and often …
A Variation On Functional Analysis In The Classroom: A Clinical Note, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Robyn Hawkins
A Variation On Functional Analysis In The Classroom: A Clinical Note, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Robyn Hawkins
Vicki Bitsika
Traditional Functional Analytic procedures rely upon the identification of one or two 'target' behaviours for examination via observation and analysis. From these data, multiple functions are identified for each target behaviour via antecedent-behaviour-consequence data collection. However, although these methodologies have been shown to be effective with a wide range of inappropriate behaviours in classrooms, they have limitations when the inappropriate behaviours are so many and varied that selection of one or two as 'targets' becomes unreliable in terms of obtaining an accurate representation of the child's overall behavioural repertoire. A variation on this procedure is described and data from a …