Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Drug Users’ Experiences Of A Residential Rehabilitation Program In Western Australia: A Thematic Analysis Of Drug Users Lived Experiences, Michelle Fullam

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the last decade, there has been a marked increase in the awareness of drug use and drug-related crime in Australia. As a result, the demand for drug treatment services has increased and 14 recognised government-funded services are now available in Western Australia (WA). The goal of these services is to reduce drug use through full-time intensive programs that are usually residential. This type of drug treatment has been shown to be effective in reducing drug use and promoting pro-social lives post-treatment. However, little is known of the experiences of participants in this type of treatment in WA. As such, …

Exploring The Experience Of Separation In Australia: Perspectives From Formerly Married And Cohabiting Parents, Sarah M. Barbas

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The increase in separation and divorce rates during the 20th century brought with it many far-reaching social implications for all involved, sparking a high level of interest among researchers. Most research in this area has been approached from stress frameworks that have conceptualised separation and divorce as a stressful life transition that individuals must adjust to. Yet, attempts to understand separation and divorce to date have been dominated by quantitative methods that have resulted in a relatively static and objective understanding of this experience; particularly in Australia. Furthermore, although international rates of divorce are declining, rates of separation following cohabiting …

Alexithymia In A Psychiatric Population: Stability And Relationship With Therapeutic Outcome, Lauren Mcgillivray

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Alexithymia has been defined as a personality construct that involves difficulties identifying and describing feelings, as well as an externally oriented thinking style and impoverished fantasy life, which places individuals at risk for various psychopathologies. For psychiatric populations, it represents an obstacle to therapeutic success. Despite extensive research, there is no consensus on the prevalence rate of alexithymia in the general psychiatric population and no data on alexithymia prevalence in the Australian general psychiatric population. In addition, there is inconsistency in the literature regarding the role of alexithymia in therapeutic intervention and a lack of robust studies involving control or …

Duet For Life: Is Alexithymia A Key Note In Couples’ Empathy, Emotional Connection, Relationship Dissatisfaction, And Therapy Outcomes?, Pamela D. Mcneill

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Alexithymia is an emotion-related construct involving difficulties identifying, describing, and processing emotion, which hinder the capacity to provide empathy, and the development of emotionally connected intimate relationships. To date, there has been minimal investigation of the impact of alexithymia on community couples’ relationships, no associated examination of clinical couples, and no consideration of therapists’ knowledge of alexithymia as a source of influence in couple therapy outcomes.

Studies 1 and 2 investigated alexithymia in 170 community couples and 17 therapy couples, respectively, in association with their empathy provided, empathy received, emotional connection components (i.e., turn toward, turn away, turn against, positive …

An Appraisal Of Experiences Of Climate Change And Adaptive Response To Heat Stress By Farmers In Rural Ghana, Kwasi Frimpong

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

With the increase in average global temperatures, heat-related illnesses and deaths have unfolded as occupational and health issues. Periods of high to extreme temperatures are becoming more common and are a leading cause of weather-related deaths in many countries. In agricultural settings of African countries, heat stress is a major concern as many smallholder farmers work outdoors with limited access to cooling systems even in their resting and living environments. This study, conducted in the Bawku East part of Northern-East Ghana in 2013, examines, in the context of climate change, the trends and impacts of heat stress on smallholder farmers, …

Perceived Harms And Benefits Of Parental Cannabis Use, And Parents’ Reports Regarding Harm-Reduction Strategies, Kathleen J. Donoghue

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research focussed on families in which at least one parent was a long-term cannabis user; I explored family members’ perceptions of the benefits and harms of cannabis use and the strategies parents used to minimise cannabis-related harm to themselves and their children. In depth, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 43 individuals from 13 families, producing a series of family case studies that enabled examination of multiple perspectives within each family. In Study 1, I used an interpretive framework guided by Miles and Huberman’s (1994) thematic content analysis technique to analyse interview data, while study 2 yielded detailed descriptive vignettes …

Learning From The Experts: Qualitative Study Of The Lived Experience Of Mental Illness, Zdenka Bartova

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Severe mental illness has a profound effect on the affected individuals yet it does not necessarily prevent them from leading a meaningful and fulfilling life, and therefore recovering. Recovery has received a great interest in clinical and consumer research yet little is known about how those individuals who do not primarily identify with recovery respond to the concept and come to accept it as something that is personally meaningful. Using a qualitative approach following the principles of Gadamer’s (1975) hermeneutics, the present study explored people’s subjective experience of mental illness with the aim of identifying factors related to their views …

Understanding And Building Resilience With Art: A Socio-Ecological Approach, Meagan Shand

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Resilience is a widely researched phenomenon, it means different things to different people and is perceived and measured according to the theoretical lens being applied. The following thesis reviews the theoretical development of resilience that has led to contemporary understandings, to establish a platform for the research topic - understanding and building resilience with Art. Narrative research methods are combined with art processes to illuminate the stories of eight culturally diverse women participating in a community based mental health art program, in Western Australia. Fifteen resilience themes emerged from the collective experience, and are presented in a socio-ecological framework to …

Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress : The Impact On Children, Parents And Staff, Sarah Mcgarry

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Burns are one of the most painful and traumatising injuries an individual can sustain and constitute a serious global health threat to children. Despite the magnitude of this public health problem, little research has examined the psychological burden of these injuries. This study used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the effect of paediatric medical trauma on children who have sustained a burn, their parents and the healthcare professionals caring for these patients. The paediatric medical traumatic stress model provided a theoretical framework for this study.

Firstly, this study aimed to gain an understanding of the lived experience of children who …

An Analysis Of Treatment Retention And Attrition In An Australian Therapeutic Community For Substance Abuse Treatment, Mark Robert Porter

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Research undertaken in the last three decades has consistently reported that the length of time spent in inpatient and outpatient alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment programs predicts treatment success (De Leon, Melnick, Kressel, & Jainchill, 1994; Hubbard, Craddock, & Anderson, 2003; Simpson, Joe, Fletcher, Hubbard, & Anglin, 1999). However, treatment attrition rates are high and present a major problem for improving treatment outcomes. Various factors that have been reportedly associated with increased AOD treatment attrition rates include being female, younger clients, clients using methamphetamines, and clients with elevated psychopathology scores. The aim of this thesis is to improve understanding …

Framing Anorexia : A Play Script And Multidimensional Investigation Of Anorexia : A Play And Critical Essay, Louise Helfgott

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis explores anorexia nervosa in young people. It comprises two components: a play script, "Frames", about 16-year-old Elizabeth who is combating the disorder, her troubled friend Ben, and their families, and a critical essay that reviews qualitative and quantitative literature about anorexia and contextualises the play in relation to selected narratives, plays and films. In my field research, I interviewed a number of professionals working in the field of anorexia and the essay also discusses their views and insights.

Few plays deal with anorexia in an in-depth manner to explore the onset and development of the illness. "Frames" addresses …

Improving Evaluations Of Anti-Bullying Programs In Schools, Thérèse Shaw

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Bullying at school is associated with negative social, psychological and academic outcomes for both the victimised student and the perpetrator. As a consequence, national strategies to address bullying have been implemented in numerous countries, and education sectors and schools have increasingly directed resources to the problem. To ensure resources are allocated to programs and strategies that will prevent and successfully respond to bullying in schools, and therefore prevent harm to students, evidence of program effectiveness is required. Evaluations of anti-bullying programs in schools have had mixed results and there is a lack of robust evidence as to their impact. Several …

Parental And Carer Responses To Angelman Syndrome And Prader-Willi Syndrome, Allyson K. Thomson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The research project undertaken as part of this thesis was designed to assess family stress levels and the use of coping strategies among the carers of people with an intellectual disability caused by Angelman syndrome (AS) or Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Both syndromes are genomic imprinting disorders that arise from disruptions in genes located within human chromosome 15q11-q13. Although the disease phenotypes are quite distinct, the genetic mechanisms involved are common to both syndromes but involve paternally-derived mutations in PWS as opposed to maternal mutations in AS. Previous investigations in Western Australia (WA) indicated that people with AS and PWS experience …

A Case Study Investigation Of The Development And Treatment Of Alter Personalities In Dissociative Identity Disorder, Ian Brown

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Progress in the study and treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) has been hampered by ideological debate regarding its validity. This is particularly the case when patient's suffering from DID also report ritualistic abuse. Part of the difficulty has been that past studies have not established independent checks to assess whether alters are artefacts introduced by therapeutic bias. This study addressed this issue by using independent judges to test the validity of a patient being treated for DID who claimed ritualistic abuse. The judges were 16 clinicians with an average of 21 years experience in their respective disciplines. The study …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of/In Transformation : An Embodied And Creative Exploration Of Therapeutic Change Through Psychophonetics Psychotherapy, Robin I. Steele

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A review of recent literature on therapeutic change reveals a growing body of research which focuses on what works from the client’s point of view in facilitating positive change. This longitudinal study addresses the need for further research into the meanings of therapeutic change itself, especially as lived from the client’s perspective.

A Study Of The Cultural Appropriateness Of Service Delivery Models In The Australian Mental Health System, Mong L. Connell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study is an attempt to examine the cultural appropriateness of the mental health system in relation to the Vietnamese refugee community in Australia. Culture and mental health, as widely acknowledged in the field of transcultural psychiatry, are closely linked. No aspect of the diagnosis or treatment methods can be justified without reference to the cultural traditions of the mental health system and the client. In a country like Australia, where multiculturalism is a dominant feature of the society, the need is even greater in incorporating culture into every aspect of the mental health system, if it desires to provide …

Dual Disorders And Implications For Assessment And Treatment, Eva Rosada

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Part 1: Literature review. This review of the published literature examines the consequences for individuals with co-occurring substance use disorder and chronic mental illness in traditional treatment systems that provide separate mental health and substance use treatment and identifies barriers to effective service delivery. Barriers to effective assessment and treatment are related to a lack of integration of treatments, a Jack of networking among services, and a failure to identify and assess adequately for the presence of a dual disorder. The attitude of professionals towards DD individuals is indicated as a potential barrier. Professional education in dual disorders is emphasized …

Auditory Hallucinations And The Presence Of Depression In Chronic Schizophrenia, Julie Proctor

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This exploratory study examined the predictive relationship among the dimensions of auditory hallucinations and the presence of depression in chronic schizophrenia. Forty seven out-patients from the Inner City Community Mental Health Service participated, all of whom had a diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia and reported experiencing auditory hallucinations. The measures included the Calgary Rating Scale fur Schizophrenia, the Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale, the Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire and three questions relating to insight into auditory hallucinations from the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight-Expanded Edition. Consistent with other reports, the present study found a prevalence of depressive symptoms in over 40% …

An Identification Of The Core Variables That Assist People Diagnosed With Mental Illness In A Time Of Transition, Robyn M. Martin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study has sought to identify the core variables or factors that are utilised by people with a diagnosis of mental illness in a time of transition. The specific transition involved study participants exiting a non government community mental health agency. The variables of interest are those that assist individuals to cope during this time of change and transition. The specific transition involves participants leaving or exiting from a non government mental health agency that provides community based, psychosocial support. The study topic is located in the context of a formalised mental health system in the process of changing from …

How General Practitioners And Aged Care Workers Perceive Incidences Of Elder Abuse, Paul Howrie

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As the Australian population is expanding and ageing, there is an associated need for a focus to be placed on the Individual rights of elderly people, and for the general populus to be made more aware of areas related to our older generation. Elder abuse, as an area of concern, developed as an offshoot of investigations into child abuse and general domestic violence, and initially surfaced in the 1970s and 80s. Some sections of the medical profession were made specifically aware of the problem initially in 1975, through a letter that was sent to the British Medical Journal. However, throughout …

The Art Of Healing : A Journey Through Cancer : Implications For Art Therapy, Carmen Zammit

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis is designed to investigate how art assisted in the healing process of a person suffering from a life threatening illness. The research method used is a clinical case study. This study is a form of evaluative research, a systematic data-based inquiry concerning the participant's engagement with art in her healing process, a process which unfolds as being both life affirming and spiritually enriching. This case study takes a qualitative approach, with its emphasis on the participant's own account of her behaviour. The participant is a fifty-three year old woman, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, who was diagnosed with multiple …

Colour Perception: A Phenomenological Study Into People's Spontaneous Physical, Psychological, Emotional And Spiritual Reactions, Through Experiential Use, To Colour, Nicolette Smith

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The predominance of colour as a therapy is becoming more apparent in our culture at present. It is a well-known fact, which has been thoroughly documented, that colour affects our senses in many ways and on many levels. Colour is considered to possess a healing element. A phenomenological study will be conducted to investigate people's spontaneous physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual reactions to colour. This will be explored through the experiential use of colour by the participants. The use of a pre-test questionnaire, post-test questionnaires, observation and de-briefing will be the main research instruments. A pilot study will be used …

Art And Body Image : A Journey Through Anorexia Nervosa And The Implications For Art Therapy Rituals, Peta Horrex

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis examines the experience of body image and self image are for a sufferer with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. Themes and symbols are explored and interpreted in art work that was produced in six session of individual art therapy. The sessions were designed to deal with issues and problems that had been discussed previously, or that became relevant during each session. The study is conducted from an interpretive perspective. It concentrates on the transference of the internal unconscious in the artwork created by, Michelle, who suffers from anorexia nervosa. The interpretation is from a western art therapy and …

The Meaning Of Quality In Living Service Environments: An Analysis Of The Experiences Of People With Disabilities, Elderly People And Service Workers, Ruth Marquis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of the study was to examine the experiences of both people with disabilities and elderly people and to identify their perceptions of quality as it relates to living in a service or being supported by a service to live in the community. The study was naturalistic in design and used a phenomenological approach and inductive analysis. It involved immersion in living services for a two year period, in-depth interviews with people living and working in services and participant observation. Fifty service users between the ages of twenty-one and ninety-six, and twenty-six service workers between the ages of twenty-six …

Living With Mental Illness: A Descriptive Study Of Individual Adult Experiences Of Living With Mental Illness In Zomba, Malawi, Ivy J. Lekera

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of mental illness in the adult Malawian context. Using the interpretive paradigm, content analysis was used to uncover the lived experiences of mental illness. This study was based on the philosophy that meaning of a phenomenon is best understood if studied within its specific context and within Parse's theoretical framework. Two to four per cent of the global population share the experience of mental illness, however, little is known of individual experiences within the Malawian context. Much of the literature has focused on the physiological aspects, causes, and therapies involved …

The Mirror Within: An Art Therapy Research Project Identifying The Links Between Anorexia Nervosa, Object Relations And The Potential Role Of Art As The Transitional Object, Bronwen Gray

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research focuses on the use of art therapy with female teenage clients suffering from anorexia nervosa. The aim was to undertake a pilot study that would establish whether art therapy could assist in identifying anorexic clients' ego boundary delineations using an object relations framework (That is, either enmeshed, inter related or isolated). Utilising Elkisch's picture analysis procedure, client art works were analysed by contrasting positive and negative characteristics as a way of gaining insight into the client's boundary delineation cognition. Five female subjects aged between thirteen and sixteen, who were taking part in the eating disorders program, located in …

A Competency-Based Art Therapy Approach For Improving The Self-Esteem Of A Pre-Adolescent Girl, Maria T. Papaluca

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of the current study is to present multi-faceted instruments to measure the effectiveness of a competency-based approach to Art Therapy for improving the self-esteem of a pre-adolescent girl. The theoretical framework for this approach applies well established Art Therapy and Family Art Therapy theory and practice to contemporary clinical practices in individual Family Therapy. The Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC) (Harter, 1985b), House-Tree-Person Drawing Test (H-T-P) (Buck, 1970), the subject's self-ratings, ratings of the subject's competence by her mother and her teacher, and ratings of the subject's artwork by objective judges are employed in a Pretest-Posttest research design …

Exploring Infertility Through Art, Olga Gibson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study, entitled "Exploring infertility through art" focuses on researching the use of art to explore the psychogenic, psychological and physiological aspects of infertility and the psychosomatic avenues of expression possibly resulting in, or contributing to, infertility. The term psychogenic means "pertaining to disorders which are functional in origin" (Chaplin, 1973, p. · 391), or "term usually employed of disorders which originate in mental conditions, though they may come to involve physiological changes, as a result of these mental conditions" (Drever, 1978, p. 231). A psychogenic disorder is ''a functional disorder which has no known organic basis and is therefore …

Art Therapy In The Paediatric Oncology Setting: An Assessment Of The Feasibility Of Art Therapy To Address The Psychosocial Needs Of Paediatric Cancer Patients, Anthea Carboni

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

It is well recognised that children with cancer have special needs. Art therapy has been shown to be effective in meeting some of these needs. An exploratory study was conducted to assess the feasibility of art therapy to address the psychosocial needs of paediatric cancer patients in a medical setting where art therapy has not been practised before. A qualitative research design was used to investigate the research questions, using interviews as the main instrument. Subjects were recruited from the oncology team of a metropolitan children's hospital. The sample of thirteen informants consisted of representatives from the medical, nursing and …

Predictors, Patterns And Levels Of Stress Amongst Group Workers In Community Support Units For Adolescents, Alan Lee

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study sets out to determine the patterns, predictors and levels of stress amongst forty two groupworkers employed as care givers in five community based support units known commonly as hostels for troubled and troublesome adolescents. To establish and fully assess work related stress amongst groupworkers, it was necessary to capture not only results from questionnaires, but also individual perceptions of stress. To accomplish this, groupworkers were invited to discuss the topic further in face to face interviews upon completion of the questionnaires. Particular themes emergert from the results that reflect some of the concerns held by the author prior …