Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Barriers To Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Older Adults With Chronic Diseases, Claire Adams, Eyal Gringart, Natalie Strobel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: Older adults often delay seeking professional help, particularly for mental health problems. This is of great concern for older adults with chronic diseases, who are at risk of mental health declines. This study explored barriers to help-seeking among older adults with chronic diseases and identified factors that influence older adults’ perceptions of such barriers. Method: This was a cross-sectional study with 106 adults ≥ 65 years, diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and/or type 2 diabetes. Demographic variables and barriers to help-seeking were measured using self-report questionnaires. Results: The most common barriers to help-seeking were wondering whether the mental …

Exploring The Underutilized Potential Of Clinical Hypnosis: A Scoping Review Of Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions, Knowledge, And Attitudes, Malwina Szmaglinska, Lesley Andrew, Debbie Massey, Deborah Kirk

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes of healthcare professionals (GPs, oncologists, nurses, midwives and obstetricians, anesthetists, mental health professionals, and other professionals) toward hypnosis are explored in this scoping review. Despite proven effectiveness in various health conditions, the use of hypnosis in healthcare has stagnated, emphasizing a gap between research and practice. Data from 35 studies (1995–2023) were analyzed, revealing predominantly positive attitudes and interest in training. Professionals with more knowledge and experience had favorable attitudes toward hypnosis compared to those with limited exposure or understanding of the practice. The main obstacles were insufficient time and inadequate training. Considering the growing …

Explaining Adults’ Mental Health Help-Seeking Through The Lens Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior: A Scoping Review, Claire Adams, Eyal Gringart, Natalie Strobel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Despite evidence-based efficacy, mental health services are underutilized due to low rates of help-seeking, leaving unmet mental health needs a global concern. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been applied to understand the help-seeking process and in the development of behavior change interventions. The aim of this scoping review was to map the literature on the TPB as applied to mental health help-seeking in adults aged > 18 years. Methods: This scoping review was conducted based on the methodology presented by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). Six databases (CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, ProQuest Health and Medicine, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Web …

Help-Seeking For Mental Health Problems Among Older Adults With Chronic Disease: An Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behaviour, Claire Adams, Eyal Gringart, Natalie Strobel, Paul Masterman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective:

Despite high risk for mental health problems, older adults with chronic diseases underutilise mental health services. This study applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to understand mental health help-seeking intentions among this population and identified factors which influence help-seeking intentions.

Method:

We conducted a cross-sectional study with a non-clinical sample of 108 older adults aged 65 years or over, living with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and/or type 2 diabetes. TPB variables (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control), intentions to seek help, and additional factors (past help-seeking behaviour, quality of life, and physical health) were assessed using standardised …

Contact, Moral Foundations Or Knowledge? What Predicts Attitudes Towards Women Who Undergo Ivf, Alicja Malina, Marta Roczniewska, Julie Ann Pooley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: The willingness to try in vitro fertilization (IVF) as an infertility treatment, as well as its psychosocial consequences for couples, may be influenced by how they perceive the attitudes of general public towards this procedure. The focus of the current study was to identify predictors of attitudes towards mothers who underwent IVF to conceive a child. Three predictors were derived from attitude components: contact with someone who had undergone IVF (behavior), moral foundations (emotions), and the level of knowledge (cognition) about IVF. Method: In total, 817 participants (118 male and 692 female, 7 unreported) from Poland took part in …

Attitudes Towards Immigration-Relevant Decision-Making: The Roles Of Fairness Judgements And National Identity, Tessa Phipps

Theses : Honours

The worldwide movement of migrants has increased rapidly in recent years and the resulting increase in cultural diversity can lead to tensions in receiving societies. In the Australian context, while negative attitudes towards Australia’s immigration intake remain the minority, such attitudes have increased over the past two years. Concepts of fairness, both procedural and distributive, have been shown to be important factors in attitudes towards immigrants and the very nature of the immigration context brings to the fore concepts of in- and out-group dynamics and national identity. This study created a reliable procedural fairness scale for utilisation in the immigration …

Engaging Australian Aboriginal Narratives To Challenge Attitudes And Create Empathy In Health Care: A Methodological Perspective, Toni D. Wain, Moira Sim, Dawn Bessarab, Donna Mak, Colleen Hayward, Cobie Rudd

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Unconscious bias and negative attitudes towards minority groups have detrimental effects on the way health care is, or is not, provided to these groups. Recognition of racist attitudes and behaviours as well as understanding clients' experiences of health and health care are pivotal to developing better health care strategies to positively impact on the quality and safety of care provided to Indigenous people. Indigenous research demands inclusive research processes and the use of culturally appropriate methodologies. This paper presents a methodological account of collecting narratives which accurately and respectfully reflect Aboriginal Australians' experiences with health care in Western Australia. …

Public Perceptions Of The Perth Drug Court As A Mechanism For Dealing With Drug Related Crime, Dominic Jordan

Theses : Honours

In the last two decades, drug courts have been introduced throughout Australia, to address the issue of drug related crime. Drug courts aim to reduce criminal recidivism by placing drug dependent offenders into intensive supervision and treatment programs. Research has revealed that drug courts, including the Perth Drug Court, can reduce criminal recidivism in offenders for whom drug use is a dynamic risk factor for their criminal behaviour. Currently however, little is known about the public’s knowledge and perceptions of drug courts. The aim of the current study was to determine the perceptions of a sample of the Western Australian …

Evaluating The Psychometric Properties Of The Attitudes Towards Depression And Its Treatments Scale In An Australian Sample, Fadia Isaac, Kenneth Greenwood, Mirella Di Benedetto

Research outputs 2012

Background: Individuals’ attitudes towards depression and its treatments may influence their likelihood of seeking professional help and adherence to treatment when depressed. Objective measures, such as the Attitudes Towards Depression and its Treatments scale (ATDT), have been developed to assess such attitudes. The aims of this research were to test the reliability and validity of ATDT on an Australian sample who were not depressed during the study or who had previously been depressed, to explore the attitudes of the Australian public towards depression, and to compare these attitudes to those of a Canadian sample of people with depression. Methods: A …

An Examination Of Fathers' Satisfaction With The Legal System: Exploring The Concept In Relation To Fathers' Experience With The Family Law Court Of Western Australia, Janelle M. Hawes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Although the importance of fathers' post divorce contact with their children has been linked with a better outcome for the children and is valued by society, studies in the United States and Australia have suggested that up to 30 percent of fathers do not maintain regular contact with their children post divorce. To date, the literature has focused mainly on demographic variables and some personal characteristics of the father. An area, which has been neglected, is the influence of fathers' perception of legal proceedings and rules on their contact with their children post divorce. This study aimed to explore the …

The Intergenerational Transmission Of Violence? : The Self-Report Of Physical Abuse In Childhood Among Violent And Non-Violent Offenders, John Dockerill

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examined the parental disciplinary history of male offenders to explore the relationship between report of childhood physical abuse and subsequent violent offending, based on the concept of intergenerational transmission of violence. The study also examined the relationship between reports of childhood physical abuse and juvenile delinquency together with an examination of the links between physical abuse and anger. Finally, this study explored the relationship between witnessing aggression to other family members and the motivation for subsequent violent offending (hostile motivated versus instrumentally motivated). Social learning theory provided the theoretical basis for this research. The underlying premise is that …

Crossing Over The Line : Becoming A Marijuana User Alters Perceptions Of Source And Message Credibility In Anti-Drug Campaigns, Fiona Perman

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Illicit-drug use is a major problem in our society. Policing, charging and incarcerating offenders incurs a significant strain on government resources, and results in criminal records for those found guilty. This study examines the attitudes and beliefs of young adults (18-24 years) toward social marketing messages about marijuana and other illicit-drug use. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect various levels of marijuana use have on young people’s acceptance of anti-drug messages. That is, do source and message credibility change as a result of young people’s experience of marijuana use?

Girls Playing Netball : Factors Influencing Participation In Community Sport During A Transition Phase, Suzanne Sharp

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study describes the influences on continued sporting participation in netball for a group of adolescent girls as they make the transition from primary to secondary school and between sub-junior and junior sporting structures. A qualitative research design using one to one and semi structured focus group interviews was applied. The research describes how these meanings and identities both influence decisions about ongoing sporting participation and are influenced by situations, events and people as the participants move from primary to secondary school. Individual and focus group interview and survey data, indicate that for this group of young adolescent girls a …

Research Problem: What Are The Differences Between Wadjela And Nyungar Criteria When Assessing Organisational Effectiveness Of Non-Government Human Service Organisations?, Keith Truscott

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Wadjela and Nyungar experts (of managerial, administrative, service staff), from the same South-West city location in Western Australia were randomly chosen from the non-government human service field for separate workshops and asked the question “what makes a non-government human service organisation effective?" The purpose was to compare the group consensus answer between the two separate workshop groups. The Nyungars are the Indigenous people in the South-West of Western Australia and the Wadjelas are the Non-Indigenous people living in the same area. The results listed five criteria, in order of priority that made non-government human service organisations effective. For the Wadjela …

Affect Intensity And Affect Regulation In Prisoners With A History Of Self-Harm, Christina J. Kozar

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Prisoners with a history of self-harm have reported experiencing more anger (e.g., Hilbrand, Krystal, Sharpe, & Foster, 1994 ), and despair (e.g., Shea, 1993 ), and less ability to cope (e.g., Shea, 1993; Liebling, 1992) than prisoners with no history of self-harm. This suggests that intense negative affective experiences and less control over these states might be pervasive characteristics in individuals vulnerable to self-harm. The present study tested the hypotheses that high affect intensity, the tendency to experience both positive and negative emotional states intensely (Larsen & Diener, 1987), and deficits in negative affect regulation would be associated with self-harm …

Moving To Western Australia : Decision Making Processes Of Migrants From The United Kingdom, Lynne Cohen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

International migration has assumed a new importance during the last few decades due to the volume and increase of population movement. Two important questions are relevant to the migration process. The person has to make the decision to move and to select a place of destination. In this thesis a series of studies designed to examine the factors that led to the consideration of leaving and the attributes which contributed to the choice of destination are presented. This research begins by adopting suggestions proposed by Jahoda (1981) to ask questions and thereby increase the knowledge base. The methodological framework of …

The Relationship Between Transportation Mode Choice And Well-Being: An Ecological Perspective, Carolyn King

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The present study is based on an ecological analysis of transport and wellbeing as devised by Stokols and Novaco (1981). This study seeks to examine the link between transport mode and well-being. One hundred and eight Participants (N= 1 08) filled out a questionnaire that contained the psychological well-being scales of self-efficacy, general health and perceived stress; and the organizational scales of job satisfaction and absenteeism. The participants were divided into groups of 18 according to which transport mode they used. The transport mode groups were drive alone, train, bus, car pool, walk or cycle. It was hypothesized that there …

Perceptions Of Elder Abuse Among Australian Elderly Individuals And General Practitioners, Marianela Cuevas

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Research available on elder abuse is limited. There continues to be a lack of uniformity in how to define and identify the problem, as well as how to intervene. One group which continues to be excluded from the process of gaining knowledge on the issue of elder abuse is the elderly themselves. As general practitioners are the primary source of health care for older people, their perspectives on elder mistreatment should be explored as well. The first objective of this study was to examine whether differences existed in the perceived severity of potentially abusive situations between three groups of older …