Frank Deane
University of Wollongong, Psychology, Faculty Member
Objective: There is a high prevalence of complex psychological distress after a traumatic brain injury but limited evidence of effective interventions. We examined the feasibility of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy after a severe... more
Objective: There is a high prevalence of complex psychological distress after a traumatic brain injury but limited evidence of effective interventions. We examined the feasibility of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy after a severe traumatic brain injury using the criteria, investigating a therapeutic effect, and reviewing the acceptability of measures, treatment protocol, and delivery method (in a dyad of two clients and a therapist). Method: Two male outpatients with severe traumatic brain injury and associated psychological distress jointly engaged in a seven session treatment program based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy principles. Pre-and post-treatment measures of mood, psychological flexibility, and participation were taken in addition to weekly measures. Results: The intervention showed a therapeutic effect with one participant, and appeared to be acceptable for both participants with regard to program content, measures, and delivery mode by in a dyad. One participant showed both significant clinical and reliable change across several outcome measures including measures of mood and psychological flexibility. The second participant did not show a reduction in psychological inflexibility, but did show a significant drop in negative affect. Significant changes pre-to post-treatment for measures of participation were not indicated. Qualitatively, both participants engaged in committed action set in accordance with their values. Conclusions: This study suggests that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy may be feasible to be delivered in a dyad with individuals who have a severe traumatic brain injury. A further test of its potential efficacy in a phase II clinical trial is recommended.
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ABSTRACT A program designed to prepare long-stay “hard-to-place” psychiatric inpatients for successful community placement was evaluated. Fifteen patients in the Intensive Learning Center (ILC) program were assessed at 5- and 10-month... more
ABSTRACT A program designed to prepare long-stay “hard-to-place” psychiatric inpatients for successful community placement was evaluated. Fifteen patients in the Intensive Learning Center (ILC) program were assessed at 5- and 10-month intervals following baseline. In addition, their functioning was compared to a criterion related comparison group of 26 patients who had been transferred to community placements 18 months earlier. Two informant driven measures were used: The Rehabilitation Evaluation of Hall and Baker (REHAB), (Baker & Hall, 1988) and, Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS), (Nihira, Foster, Shellhaas, & Leland, 1975). The results indicated significant improvement in the ILC patients adaptive functioning after 5 months, but this improvement was not consistently sustained at the 10 month follow-up. Comparisons between the ILC and community groups were made at 10 months and suggested considerable overlap in functioning between the two groups. The implications of the findings for program development and implementation as well as for discharge planning are discussed.
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... The bond in the partnership is consistent with the core therapeutic relationship issues described by Rogers (1957), and Bordin (1994 ... outcome in community psychiatry and case management located five studies assessing the... more
... The bond in the partnership is consistent with the core therapeutic relationship issues described by Rogers (1957), and Bordin (1994 ... outcome in community psychiatry and case management located five studies assessing the relationship in these contexts (Howgego et al., 2003 ...
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This study explores the effects of anxiety on driving performance in a sample of 35 individuals with cognitive impairment who underwent driving reassessment 2 weeks after neuropsychological assessment. Participants completed measures of... more
This study explores the effects of anxiety on driving performance in a sample of 35 individuals with cognitive impairment who underwent driving reassessment 2 weeks after neuropsychological assessment. Participants completed measures of test, state and driving anxiety prior to the neuropsychological assessment. Measures of state anxiety were re-administered immediately before and after the on-road driving test. Higher anxiety before the on-road test was associated with fewer errors, although regression analyses showed that anxiety was not a unique predictor of driving performance. The results suggest that anxiety has a positive influence on driving performance but does not predict driving assessment outcome. Occupational therapists and driving instructors were better judges of the effects of anxiety on driving performance than were the participants themselves. Implications of these findings for clinical and medico-legal contexts are discussed.
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Research Interests: Management, Psychiatry, Depression, Australia, Treatment Outcome, and 17 moreFamily Practice, Comorbidity, Curriculum, Humans, Substance Abuse, General, Female, Male, Data Collection, Graduate medical education, Mental Disorders, Middle Aged, Adult, Patient Care Team, Medical Audit, Dual, and Substance-Related Disorders
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Mental illness affects one in five Australians in any given year and depression, anxiety and substance abuse are the most prevalent of the mental health problems. Mental illness is traditionally managed with medication and psychological... more
Mental illness affects one in five Australians in any given year and depression, anxiety and substance abuse are the most prevalent of the mental health problems. Mental illness is traditionally managed with medication and psychological intervention but exercise and diet have also been shown to be related to mental illness and are associated with improvements in mental health. The present article aims to describe the background and practical issues arising from the establishment of diet and exercise assessments and intervention for people receiving treatment for depression and anxiety in general practice settings. Patients were referred by their general practitioners, and attended sessions either in rooms at their practitioner's surgery or at a central clinic location. The program involved an initial assessment, four individual consultations with a dually qualified dietitian and exercise physiologist, and a final assessment. Issues in the process of assessing mental health, diet quality, physical fitness and physical activity behaviours are described as are key components of the tailored treatment programs. Strategies for improving motivation and adherence such as adjusting frequency of sessions, use of homework and means of communication are highlighted.
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This Open Forum examines research on case management that draws on consumer perspectives. It clarifies the extent of consumer involvement and whether evaluations were informed by recovery perspectives. Searches of three databases revealed... more
This Open Forum examines research on case management that draws on consumer perspectives. It clarifies the extent of consumer involvement and whether evaluations were informed by recovery perspectives. Searches of three databases revealed 13 studies that sought to investigate consumer perspectives. Only one study asked consumers about experiences of recovery. Most evaluations did not adequately assess consumers' views, and active consumer participation in research was rare. Supporting an individual's recovery requires commitment to a recovery paradigm that incorporates traditional symptom reduction and improved functioning, with broader recovery principles, and a shift in focus from illness to well-being. It also requires greater involvement of consumers in the implementation of case management and ownership of their own recovery process, not just in research that evaluates the practice.
Research Interests: Management, Psychiatry, Health Promotion, Health Behavior, Mental Health, and 16 moreEvaluation, Consumer Behavior, Public Health, Consumer, Humans, Recovery, Consistency, Case Management, Public health systems and services research, Convalescence, Paradigm, Evaluations, Psychiatric Services, Consumer Participation, Psychiatric, and Client
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The current study examined the relationship between belief-based barriers to seeking professional mental health care and help-seeking intentions in a sample of 1037 adolescents. From early adolescence to adulthood, for males and females,... more
The current study examined the relationship between belief-based barriers to seeking professional mental health care and help-seeking intentions in a sample of 1037 adolescents. From early adolescence to adulthood, for males and females, the need for autonomy was a strong barrier to seeking professional mental health care. Help-seeking fears were weaker in the older age groups. Having lower perceived need for autonomy and believing that prior mental health care was helpful was significantly associated with higher intentions to seek future professional mental health care. Implications for prevention and overcoming barriers to seeking mental health care are suggested.
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ABSTRACT Several variables have been associated with the tendency to seek psychological help. For example, attitudes, psychological distress, and treatment fearfulness have all been associated with mental health professionals and whether... more
ABSTRACT Several variables have been associated with the tendency to seek psychological help. For example, attitudes, psychological distress, and treatment fearfulness have all been associated with mental health professionals and whether individuals seek help from counsellors. The aims of this study were: (1) to examine whether individuals seek help from mental health professionals, and (2) to assess the validity and utility of a short form of the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS) for assessing prison inmates' helpseeking attitudes. In addition, the relative impact of components of treatment fearfulness and psychological distress on helpseeking attitudes was assessed. Results were consistent with previous research, and indicated that male inmates (N= 173) have similar scores on the ATSPPHS to other male samples. Stigma-related treatment fears and psychological distress were significant unique predictors of attitudes toward professional psychological helpseeking. Factor analysis revealed a single general factor for the ATSPPHS. The potential utility of the brief version of the ATSPPHS was also supported. Suggestions are made for further research with this population and with the two versions of the helpseeking attitude measure.
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Research Interests: Australia, Risk Taking, Adolescent, Students, Humans, and 7 moreFemale, Alcohol Drinking, Male, Young Adult, Universities, Questionnaires, and Adult
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Research Interests: Psychology, Health Promotion, Psychotherapy, Mental Health, Primary Health Care, and 36 moreRisk assessment, Adolescent, Family Practice, Prevention, Probability, Thinking, Identification, Humans, Needs Assessment, General, Role, Physical Health, Female, Therapy, School Health, Male, Physicians, Regression Analysis, Mental Disorders, New South Wales, Mental Health Care, Help Seeking, Psychological distress, Questionnaires, Suicidal Ideation, High School Student, Reluctance, Health surveys, Risk Assessment, Youth & Adolescence, Adolescent Behavior, Treatment Refusal, Attempted Suicide, Medical, Protective Factor, and Severity of Illness Index
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This study explores a range of barriers that parents encountered in accessing mental health services. The study also explored whether parents experienced similar barriers to accessing services in 2003 and 2013. One hundred and thirty-four... more
This study explores a range of barriers that parents encountered in accessing mental health services. The study also explored whether parents experienced similar barriers to accessing services in 2003 and 2013. One hundred and thirty-four parents of young people attending an initial assessment at a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) or headspace centre completed a questionnaire assessing 10 general barriers to care. These data were compared to those collected from 129 participants at CAMHS in 2003. The ranking of barriers to mental health care for their children was similar for both survey years, with 'wait time being too long' and 'help being too expensive' the two highest ranked barriers. Cost factors were related to not knowing that the services did not charge fees and having to take time off work to attend appointments. Multiple referral steps and uncertain wait times were the main concerns regarding wait times. The overall strength with which barriers were endorsed remained relatively low; however, at least 40% of the sample agreed they had experienced four of the barriers in both years. Despite relatively low endorsement of barriers, there are substantial proportions of parents who experienced some barriers to services, and services should continue working to reduce them to facilitate timely access. There is a particular need for more service-related information to clarify that public sector mental health services do not charge fees. Methods such as rapid initial assessment and actively managing wait lists may go some way to reducing perceived wait time barriers.
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Despite clinical recommendations that further treatment is critical for successful recovery following drug and alcohol detoxification, a large proportion of clients fail to attend treatment after detoxification. In this study, individual... more
Despite clinical recommendations that further treatment is critical for successful recovery following drug and alcohol detoxification, a large proportion of clients fail to attend treatment after detoxification. In this study, individual factors and constructs based on motivational and volitional models of health behaviour were examined as predictors of post-detoxification treatment attendance. The sample consisted of 220 substance-dependent individuals participating in short-term detoxification programs provided by The Australian Salvation Army. The Theory of Planned Behaviour and Implementation Intentions were used to predict attendance at subsequent treatment. Follow-up data were collected for 177 participants (81%), with 104 (80%) of those participants reporting that they had either attended further formal treatment (e.g. residential rehabilitation programs, outpatient counselling) or mutual support groups in the 2 weeks after leaving the detoxification program. Logistic regress...
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a diet and exercise lifestyle intervention on mental health outcomes for patients currently being treated for depression and/or anxiety in primary care. Patients (n=119) referred by general... more
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a diet and exercise lifestyle intervention on mental health outcomes for patients currently being treated for depression and/or anxiety in primary care. Patients (n=119) referred by general practitioners to the 12-week randomised controlled trial were assigned to either an intervention of six visits to a dual qualified dietitian/exercise physiologist (DEP) where motivational interviewing and activity scheduling were used to engage patients in individually-tailored lifestyle change (focussed on diet and physical activity), or an attention control with scheduled telephone contact. Assessments conducted at baseline (n=94) and 12 weeks (n=60) were analysed with an intent-to-treat approach using linear mixed modelling. Significant improvement was found for both groups on Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) scores, measures of nutrient intake and total Australian modified Healthy Eating Index (Aust-HEI) scores. Significant differences b...
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Suicide prevention remains a challenge across communities in North America and abroad. We examine a suicide prevention effort that is widely used, termed gatekeeper training. There are 2 aims: review the state of the evidence on... more
Suicide prevention remains a challenge across communities in North America and abroad. We examine a suicide prevention effort that is widely used, termed gatekeeper training. There are 2 aims: review the state of the evidence on gatekeeper training for suicide prevention, and propose directions for further research. Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE (PubMed) and PsycINFO from inception to the present for the key words suicide, suicide prevention, and gatekeeper. In addition, a manual scan of relevant articles' bibliographies was undertaken. Gatekeeper training has been implemented and studied in many populations, including military personnel, public school staff, peer helpers, clinicians, and Aboriginal people. This type of training has been shown to positively affect the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of trainees regarding suicide prevention. Large-scale cohort studies in military personnel and physicians have reported promising results with a significant reduction...
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Caring for young people is a challenge that requires a full approach to general practice along with additional skills and knowledge. Research indicates that "youth friendly" GPs need to (1) practice in youth friendly... more
Caring for young people is a challenge that requires a full approach to general practice along with additional skills and knowledge. Research indicates that "youth friendly" GPs need to (1) practice in youth friendly environments that include youth friendly support staff, (2) know about the developmental stages of adolescence and have skills for developing rapport with young people across these
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ABSTRACT This study describes a project that aimed to train people with mental illness in introductory research skills to support the development of a Clubhouse. Eight mental health consumers from the Illawarra region in New South Wales,... more
ABSTRACT This study describes a project that aimed to train people with mental illness in introductory research skills to support the development of a Clubhouse. Eight mental health consumers from the Illawarra region in New South Wales, Australia were recruited to participate in the project. The group met weekly over a 10-week period to participate in training sessions. The training program focused on increasing familiarity and confidence with research related activities considered useful for Clubhouse members. Measures related to Familiarity with the Clubhouse model, Clubhouse Role Confidence, Research Self Efficacy, and Familiarity with Research Terminology were completed by six of eight participants before and after training. There were significant improvements in consumer's familiarity with components of the Clubhouse and research terminology. There was also increased confidence in performing roles relevant to research activities in Clubhouse settings but no significant improvements in Research Self efficacy related to more general research skills. There is a need for future research to confirm the findings in larger trials with a control condition.
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The present study tests the perceived norms hypothesis in relation to different levels of heavy episodic drinking (HED) among university students. In 2007, 303 students from residence halls and the School of Psychology at the University... more
The present study tests the perceived norms hypothesis in relation to different levels of heavy episodic drinking (HED) among university students. In 2007, 303 students from residence halls and the School of Psychology at the University of Wollongong, Australia, completed a questionnaire about their alcohol consumption and associated attitudes and behaviors. Between-groups analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed significantly higher AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) scores among students in higher-frequency HED groups. Students who engaged in HED tended to underestimate their own drinking when comparing themselves with others. Improving the accuracy of perceptions about one's own drinking in relation to others (normative information) may help reduce levels of HED among students.
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Research Interests: Psychology, Health Promotion, Psychotherapy, Mental Health, Primary Health Care, and 36 moreRisk assessment, Adolescent, Family Practice, Prevention, Probability, Thinking, Identification, Humans, Needs Assessment, General, Role, Physical Health, Female, Therapy, School Health, Male, Physicians, Regression Analysis, Mental Disorders, New South Wales, Mental Health Care, Help Seeking, Psychological distress, Questionnaires, Suicidal Ideation, High School Student, Reluctance, Health surveys, Risk Assessment, Youth & Adolescence, Adolescent Behavior, Treatment Refusal, Attempted Suicide, Medical, Protective Factor, and Severity of Illness Index
... High levels of fear and symptom severity (Ehlers, Hofmann, Herda, & Roth, 1994; Taylor & Deane, 2000) as well as diagnostic complexity (Ehlers et al., 1994; also see Taylor, Deane, & Podd, 2002, for a review) have been... more
... High levels of fear and symptom severity (Ehlers, Hofmann, Herda, & Roth, 1994; Taylor & Deane, 2000) as well as diagnostic complexity (Ehlers et al., 1994; also see Taylor, Deane, & Podd, 2002, for a review) have been found to characterise this population. ...
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... changes reduced the reading level from high school and some college education (15 year ... of male inmates with males from other groups, such as college students. Contrary to expectations, the male prisoners' attitudes toward... more
... changes reduced the reading level from high school and some college education (15 year ... of male inmates with males from other groups, such as college students. Contrary to expectations, the male prisoners' attitudes toward seeking professional psychological assistance fell ...
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A survey of the housing needs of 101 people with mentally illness treated by the Central Western Area Mental Health Service were compared with data from the 1994 Australian Housing Study (Australian Bureau of Statistics). The results... more
A survey of the housing needs of 101 people with mentally illness treated by the Central Western Area Mental Health Service were compared with data from the 1994 Australian Housing Study (Australian Bureau of Statistics). The results indicate that people with mental illness want housing similar to Australians in general. However, unemployment or very low incomes may affect their ability to realise their housing choices. Despite very low incomes most in the survey felt their rent was affordable. Preferences for housing types and factors relating to housing choice are described. The results are discussed in relation to the importance of housing in maintaining mental health.
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Mental health nurses will play an important role in the administration of the routine outcome measures currently being implemented across Australia, including the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS). Prior research has implied... more
Mental health nurses will play an important role in the administration of the routine outcome measures currently being implemented across Australia, including the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS). Prior research has implied that sources of information may be responsible in part for the mixed reliability and validity of the HoNOS. This study examines which sources of information clinicians use when making a HoNOS rating. Twenty-one mental health clinicians that had been using the HoNOS routinely for 2 years were surveyed to determine the sources of information they used when making a rating. In addition, 12 specific HoNOS ratings were reviewed to obtain data about 'actual' sources utilized. More than half of all information used when completing a HoNOS rating was obtained from interviewing the client or from direct observation of the client. The main secondary sources used included medical records and consulting with family and carers and other staff. Collateral information from general practitioners and police was used in only a small percentage of cases. There was high variability amongst clinicians with regard to how much each source was used. Training mental health workers in routine use of the HoNOS should encourage clinicians to use a range of sources of information when making a rating.
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Despite considerable research attention, it remains unclear whether failing to meet clients' precounselling expectations causes increases in state anxiety. Empirical support for such a relationship is equivocal and it has been... more
Despite considerable research attention, it remains unclear whether failing to meet clients' precounselling expectations causes increases in state anxiety. Empirical support for such a relationship is equivocal and it has been suggested that the treatment of expectations as a unitary construct and a lack of theory have given rise to this situation. The present study measured pre- and post-session expectations
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Research Interests: Management, Psychiatry, Depression, Australia, Treatment Outcome, and 17 moreFamily Practice, Comorbidity, Curriculum, Humans, Substance Abuse, General, Female, Male, Data Collection, Graduate medical education, Mental Disorders, Middle Aged, Adult, Patient Care Team, Medical Audit, Dual, and Substance-Related Disorders
This study explores the effects of anxiety on driving performance in a sample of 35 individuals with cognitive impairment who underwent driving reassessment 2 weeks after neuropsychological assessment. Participants completed measures of... more
This study explores the effects of anxiety on driving performance in a sample of 35 individuals with cognitive impairment who underwent driving reassessment 2 weeks after neuropsychological assessment. Participants completed measures of test, state and driving anxiety prior to the neuropsychological assessment. Measures of state anxiety were re-administered immediately before and after the on-road driving test. Higher anxiety before the on-road test was associated with fewer errors, although regression analyses showed that anxiety was not a unique predictor of driving performance. The results suggest that anxiety has a positive influence on driving performance but does not predict driving assessment outcome. Occupational therapists and driving instructors were better judges of the effects of anxiety on driving performance than were the participants themselves. Implications of these findings for clinical and medico-legal contexts are discussed.
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Research Interests: Program Evaluation, Psychology, Depression, Health Education, Suicide, and 18 moreCommunity, Adolescent, Prevention, Humans, Female, Manitoba, Male, Regression Analysis, Members, Trial, Clinical Sciences, Anxiety and Depression, Aged, Middle Aged, Questionnaires, Suicidal Ideation, Adult, and Analysis of Variance
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The present study was conducted in response to increasing concerns about the potential unreliability of retrospective accounts in assessing the origins of fears and phobias. Some investigators [e.g. Menzies, R.G., & Clarke, J.C.... more
The present study was conducted in response to increasing concerns about the potential unreliability of retrospective accounts in assessing the origins of fears and phobias. Some investigators [e.g. Menzies, R.G., & Clarke, J.C. (1993). The etiology of fear of heights and its relationship to severity and individual response patterns. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 31, 355-365; Kirkby, K.C., Menzies, R.G., Daniels, B.A., & Smith, K.L. (1995). Aetiology of spider phobia: Classificatory differences between two origins instruments. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33, 955-958; King, N.J., Gullone, E., & Ollendick, T.H. (1998). Etiology of childhood phobias: current status of Rachman's three pathways theory. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 297-309.] have questioned the reliability of retrospective reports at a single assessment point, although the test-retest reliability of such accounts has yet to be examined. The aim of the present study was to conduct a one-year follow-up of the subclinical driving-fearful sample studied by Taylor and Deane [Taylor, J. E., & Deane, F. P. (1999). Acquisition and severity of driving-related fears. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, 435-449.] to primarily investigate, the stability of fear onset ascriptions and fear severity over time. 85 respondents completed a questionnaire which assessed fear origins, anxiety response patterns, and additional fear-relevant events occurring over the year. The results suggest that retrospective accounts of fear onset may be quite unstable over time, although this instability does not clearly appear to be related to intervening events, and limitations of the study make these results inconclusive. Fear-relevant negative thinking worsened over time, while physiological reactions and general anxiety remained relatively stable. The theoretical, methodological and clinical implications of the findings are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.
Research Interests: Psychology, Fear, Cognition, Anxiety, Learning, and 17 moreHumans, Business and Management, Female, Male, Follow-up studies, Middle Aged, Questionnaires, Self Assessment, Adult, Time Factors, Retrospective Studies, Reproducibility of Results, ANXIETY, Life Change Events, Behaviour Therapy, Automobile driving, and Severity of Illness Index
... International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 6, 271-283. Fiona Davies, Frank P Deane and Andrew Dalley Page 6. Australian Journal of Primary Health Vol. 12, No. 3, December 2006 71 Cunningham, W. & Dovey, S. (1999).... more
... International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 6, 271-283. Fiona Davies, Frank P Deane and Andrew Dalley Page 6. Australian Journal of Primary Health Vol. 12, No. 3, December 2006 71 Cunningham, W. & Dovey, S. (1999). ...
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The Arabic-speaking clergy is highly revered and considered the first point of contact for people who suffer from mental illness within their community. The current study aimed to explore the beliefs of Arabic-speaking religious leaders... more
The Arabic-speaking clergy is highly revered and considered the first point of contact for people who suffer from mental illness within their community. The current study aimed to explore the beliefs of Arabic-speaking religious leaders regarding the causes of mental illness and the use of medication for their treatment. Participants consisted of 170 Arabic-speaking clerics of Muslim (n = 85) and Christian (n = 85) denominations residing in Sydney, Australia. A questionnaire was administered during face-to-face interviews and included items regarding the causes of mental illness and beliefs about whether psychiatric medications were viewed as helpful or harmful. Most of the Arabic-speaking clerics viewed drug and alcohol addiction and psychosocial factors as the most important causes of mental illness. Biological causes such as a chemical imbalance in the brain were less frequently endorsed. Although medications were viewed by most religious clerics as helpful in the treatment of mental illness, there were also concerns about the potential harms of medications, particularly among Muslim clerics. Muslim clerics also endorsed the religious causes for mental illness, such as spiritual poverty, as being more important more so than did Christian clerics. The beliefs of Arabic-speaking religious leaders influence how they respond to people with mental illness and may determine whether they refer people to professional mental health services or not. Understanding their perspectives allows opportunities to share information to facilitate collaborative work in the care of Arabic-speaking people with mental illness. Arabic-speaking religious leaders need to be better educated about the mechanisms of action and benefits of medication in the treatment of mental illness.
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Attitudinal and practical barriers prevent many young people who are experiencing mental health problems from seeking professional help. The influence of others can help young people to overcome barriers to help seeking. Understanding the... more
Attitudinal and practical barriers prevent many young people who are experiencing mental health problems from seeking professional help. The influence of others can help young people to overcome barriers to help seeking. Understanding the relative influence of parents and others on the help-seeking decision and the extent of parent-child agreement on the severity of the young person's problems, may be helpful in facilitating intake processes in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). One hundred and nineteen parent-child (14-18-years-old) dyads attending an initial appointment at a Sydney and regional CAMHS completed the parent and youth Strength and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQs) prior to their assessment interview. Parents and children also answered three equivalent questions on sources of influence in their decision to access services. Ninety-four per cent of young people reported that others had influenced their decision to access help, with parents being the strongest influence. Higher levels of parental influence in the help-seeking process were related to greater disagreement between parent and child on the severity of the problems. Parent and child ratings of influence were related to the severity of externalizing problems. The findings are consistent with models that highlight help seeking as a social process involving high degrees of influence particularly from parents. Referral sources and clinicians need to be aware of the effects of discrepant views between parent and child regarding the presenting problem. To facilitate joint therapy it may be helpful for clinicians to address the level of influence involved in having the young person attend their first appointment with parents and children.
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... The purpose of this article is to describe some psychological dynamics that may ... in life are proposed as spiritual mechanisms that partially mediate a spiritually directed recovery ... Recent empirical studies on spirituality and... more
... The purpose of this article is to describe some psychological dynamics that may ... in life are proposed as spiritual mechanisms that partially mediate a spiritually directed recovery ... Recent empirical studies on spirituality and recovery from substance use disorders are discussed in ...
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Few distressed young people seek professional psychological help for either personal-emotional problems or suicidal ideation. This paper describes two studies that have examined help-seeking patterns in two contrasting high school... more
Few distressed young people seek professional psychological help for either personal-emotional problems or suicidal ideation. This paper describes two studies that have examined help-seeking patterns in two contrasting high school populations. Two hundred and sixty four Il1awarra public high school students and 307 Queensland private high school students completed a questionnaire measuring intentions to seek help from a variety of fonnal and informal sources, in addition to no-one for personal-emotional and ...
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Carers are important to the recovery of their relatives with serious mental disorder however, it is unclear whether they are aware of, or endorse recent conceptualisations of recovery. This study compared... more
Carers are important to the recovery of their relatives with serious mental disorder however, it is unclear whether they are aware of, or endorse recent conceptualisations of recovery. This study compared carers' and mental health workers' recovery attitudes, and undertook multivariate predictions of carers' wellbeing, hopefulness and recovery attitudes. Participants were 82 Australian family members caring for a relative with psychosis. Carers' average recovery attitudes were less optimistic than for previously surveyed staff. Carers' recovery attitudes were predicted by perceptions that their relative's negative symptoms were more severe. Hopefulness and wellbeing was predicted by more positive and less negative caregiving experiences. Hopefulness was also predicted by less frequent contacts with their affected relative, and unexpectedly, by perceptions of more severe psychotic symptoms. Carers' wellbeing was further predicted by having a partner and having no lifetime history of a mental disorder. Hope and wellbeing are affected by everyday challenges and positive experiences of caregiving.
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Despite a great deal of popular interest and the development of numerous training programs in emo-tional intelligence (EI), some researchers have argued that there is little evidence that EI is both useful anddierent from other, well... more
Despite a great deal of popular interest and the development of numerous training programs in emo-tional intelligence (EI), some researchers have argued that there is little evidence that EI is both useful anddierent from other, well established constructs. We hypothesized that EI would make a unique contribu-tion to understanding the relationship between stress and three important mental health variables,depression, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. University students (n=302) participated in a cross-sec-tional study that involved measuring life stress, objective and self-reported emotional intelligence, andmental health. Regression analyses revealed that stress was associated with: (1) greater reported depression,hopelessness, and suicidal ideation among people high in emotional perception (EP) compared to others;and (2) greater suicidal ideation among those low in managing others' emotions (MOE). Both EP andMOE were shown to be statistically dierent from other relevant measures, suggesting that EI is a dis-tinctive construct as well as being important in understanding the link between stress and mental health.
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Few distressed young people seek professional psychological help andlittle is known about what sources of help young people seek for differentproblems. In suicidal youth, the process of help-negation may exacerbatepoor help-seeking. Three... more
Few distressed young people seek professional psychological help andlittle is known about what sources of help young people seek for differentproblems. In suicidal youth, the process of help-negation may exacerbatepoor help-seeking. Three hundred and two undergraduate university stu-dents completed a questionnaire measuring suicidal ideation, hopeless-ness, prior help-seeking experience, and help-seeking intentions. Participantsindicated they would seek help from different sources of help for differenttypes of problems, but friends consistently were rated as the most likelysource of help. Help-negation was suggested by higher levels of suicidalideation being associated with lower help-seeking intentions. However,the negative suicidal ideation/help-seeking-intentions relationship was notexplained by hopelessness or prior help-seeking. Help-negation appears toinvolve more than just negative expectations regarding the future. Thediscussion proposes social problem-solving orientation as one of a num-ber of potential explanatory variables.
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This paper summarises an ambitious research agenda aiming to uncover the factors that affect help-seekingamong young people for mental health problems. The research set out to consider why young people, andparticularly young males, do not... more
This paper summarises an ambitious research agenda aiming to uncover the factors that affect help-seekingamong young people for mental health problems. The research set out to consider why young people, andparticularly young males, do not seek help when they are in psychological distress or suicidal; howprofessional services be made more accessible and attractive to young people; the factors that inhibit andfacilitate help-seeking; and how community gatekeepers can support young people to access services tohelp with personal and emotional problems. A range of studies was undertaken in New South Wales,Queensland and the ACT, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data from a total of 2721young people aged 14-24 years were gathered, as well as information from some of the communitygatekeepers to young people’s mental health care.Help-seeking was measured in all the studies using the General Help Seeking Questionnaire (Wilson,Deane, Ciarrochi & Rickwood, 2005), which measures future help-seeking intentions and, throughsupplementary questions, can also assess prior help-seeking experience. Many of the studies also measuredrecent help-seeking behaviour using the Actual Help Seeking Questionnaire. The types of mental healthproblems examined varied across the studies and included depressive symptoms, personal-emotionalproblems, and suicidal thoughts.The help-seeking process was conceptualised using a framework developed during the research program.This framework maintains that help-seeking is a process of translating the very personal domain of psychological distress to the interpersonal domain of seeking help. Factors that were expected to facilitateor inhibit this translation process were investigated. These included factors that determine awareness of thepersonal domain of psychological distress and that affect the ability to articulate or express this personaldomain to others, as well as willingness to disclose mental health issues to other people.The results are reported in terms of: patterns of help-seeking across adolescence and young adulthood; therelationship of help-seeking intentions to behaviour; barriers to seeking help—lack of emotionalcompetence, the help-negation effect related to suicidal thoughts, negative attitudes and beliefs about help-seeking and fear of stigma; and facilitators of seeking help—emotional competence, positive pastexperience, mental health literacy, and supportive social influences. The paper considers the implications of the findings for the development of interventions to encourage young people to seek help for their mentalhealth problems, and concludes by identifying gaps in the help-seeking research and literature andsuggesting future directions.
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Research Interests: Psychology, General Practice, Health Promotion, Accessibility, Mental Health, and 16 moreEvaluation, Treatment, Public Health, Young People, Youth, General, Correlation, High School, Intervention, Physicians, Comparative Analysis, Help Seeking, Experimental Evaluation, Questionnaires, General practitioner, and Youth & Adolescence
... FRANK P. DEANE & KERRY CHAMBERLAIN Department of Psychology, Massey University, fivate Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, New Zealand ... DFANE, FP, LM m , J. & SPICER, J. (1992a) Clinical norms,... more
... FRANK P. DEANE & KERRY CHAMBERLAIN Department of Psychology, Massey University, fivate Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, New Zealand ... DFANE, FP, LM m , J. & SPICER, J. (1992a) Clinical norms, reliability and validity for the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-21, Aumalizn ...
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... The authors suggested that the high prevalence of mental-health problems was in part due to stress of migration and acculturation adjust-ment. ... It is a confronting label Mental Health Centre, and not many Arabic people want to be... more
... The authors suggested that the high prevalence of mental-health problems was in part due to stress of migration and acculturation adjust-ment. ... It is a confronting label Mental Health Centre, and not many Arabic people want to be seen in a such place. (M; 39) ...
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A sample of 111 male prisoners returned a questionnaire which assessed helpseeking intentions, psychological distress, treatment fearfulness and attitudes toward professional psychological helpseeking. Results indicated that more... more
A sample of 111 male prisoners returned a questionnaire which assessed helpseeking intentions, psychological distress, treatment fearfulness and attitudes toward professional psychological helpseeking. Results indicated that more favourable attitudes were associated with increased helpseeking intentions. In general, non-Maori inmates and those with positive prior helpseeking experiences had more positive attitudes and higher helpseeking intentions than those who had neutral or
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Prisoners experience high rates of mental health problems and suicidal behaviours. Failure to seek help may exacerbate these problems and limit opportunities to participate in offending-related programmes. To assess whether... more
Prisoners experience high rates of mental health problems and suicidal behaviours. Failure to seek help may exacerbate these problems and limit opportunities to participate in offending-related programmes. To assess whether prisoners'; intentions to seek help for a personal-emotional problem, including suicidal feelings, can be predicted using variables from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). These TPB variables were supplemented by measures of emotional distress, prior contact with a psychologist and demographic variables. Male inmates from six New Zealand prisons were asked to participate, with approximately 50% (n = 527) of those who initially expressed an interest in the study completing the self-report questionnaire. Most participants completed the questionnaire in small-group meetings in the prison units and returned them to the researchers immediately after completion.Results On average, participants reported higher levels of current emotional distress than comparison student samples. TPB variables predicted help-seeking intentions for suicidality and personal-emotional problems. Those with prior contact with prison psychologists had lower intentions to seek help for suicidal feelings than prisoners without such contact. Older prisoners, those with more years of education, and those who had previous contact with a psychologist outside prison tended to have higher intentions to seek psychological help. Social-cognitive factors predicted intentions to seek help among New Zealand prisoners but prison-specific issues, such as relative reluctance to seek help when suicidal and reluctance to seek help from prison psychologists, were also identified. Implications for practice Prisoners'; access to services could be improved, for example, through directly working on attitudinal barriers. Strategies to ensure access to specialized forensic mental health in-reach services could also be an alternative or additional route to ensure that this disadvantaged group seeks appropriate help.
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This study examined whether preparation decreases clients' state anxiety and improves therapy outcome and clarified the relations among preparation, expectations, and state anxiety. Ss were 138 adults referred for outpatient... more
This study examined whether preparation decreases clients' state anxiety and improves therapy outcome and clarified the relations among preparation, expectations, and state anxiety. Ss were 138 adults referred for outpatient psychotherapy. Half of the Ss viewed an 11-min ...
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The aim of this study was to assess psychiatrists' Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related knowledge and behaviour practices. A self-report survey was completed by doctors working at an urban psychiatric... more
The aim of this study was to assess psychiatrists' Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related knowledge and behaviour practices. A self-report survey was completed by doctors working at an urban psychiatric hospital in Australia. Doctors working in psychiatry underestimated the prevalence of HCV infection for their patients and less than one-third felt well informed about HCV. Overall, there was good knowledge regarding HCV acquisition epidemiology but knowledge of management was poor. Improving knowledge about HCV, especially current management, may facilitate better health care for patients with severe mental illness.
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Objective: Informal caregivers of palliative care patients play an essential role in the coordination of care for patients during their final phases of life. However, undertaking a caregiving role can have enduring psychological... more
Objective: Informal caregivers of palliative care patients play an essential role in the coordination of care for patients during their final phases of life. However, undertaking a caregiving role can have enduring psychological consequences for caregivers and interfere with functioning. Studies have investigated a variety of factors associated with individual differences in caregiver psychosocial outcomes, but little is known about their relative impact, and there is a need for guiding models to support research in this area. Method: A review of the literature was conducted on factors influencing the psychological distress and grief of caregivers. Drawing from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and Stroebe and colleagues' integrative risk factor framework, we developed a process model to describe individual differences in caregiver psychological distress and grief. Results: The model presents caregiver psychological distress and grief as functions of death attitudes and communication about death and dying, mediated by acceptance and valued living from an ACT perspective. An outline of the empirical and theoretical underpinnings for each component in the model is provided. Significant of results: The presented model is an inherently strengths-based model that is concordant with acceptance- and values- (ACT) based interventions to facilitate coping in caregivers.
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Research Interests: Health Promotion, Government, Community-Based Mental Health Services, Australia, Social Support, and 17 moreTeaching, Motivation, Humans, Program Development, Female, Male, Clinical Sciences, Middle Aged, Questionnaires, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Convalescence, Psychiatric Services, Reproducibility of Results, Psychiatric, Cooperative Behavior, and Training Program
This study presents preliminary validation data on both the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Acquired Brain Injury (AAQ-ABI) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II). Data from 150 participants with ABI was subject to... more
This study presents preliminary validation data on both the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Acquired Brain Injury (AAQ-ABI) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II). Data from 150 participants with ABI was subject to exploratory factor analysis on the AAQ-ABI (15 items). A subset of 75 participants with ABI completed a larger battery of measures to test construct validity for the AAQ-ABI and to undertake a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the AAQ-II (7 items). Three meaningful factors were identified on the AAQ-ABI: Reactive Avoidance, Denial, and Active Acceptance. Reactive Avoidance demonstrated good internal and test-retest consistency (α = .89) and correlated in expected directions with other related measures including the AAQ-II. CFA of the AAQ-II did not provide a good fit but did have similar correlations with measures of psychological distress as found in prior non-ABI samples. The results suggest both measures can be used with individuals following an ABI but they index different facets of psychological flexibility. The AAQ-ABI appears to measure psychological flexibility about the thoughts and feelings relating to the brain injury itself while the AAQ-II measures psychological flexibility around general psychological distress. Future research could explore the additional 2 factors of the AAQ-ABI and use these measures in outcome studies that promote psychological flexibility in individuals with an ABI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).
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People with mental disorders are marginalised and socially excluded from many aspects of community life. They often experience difficulty with obtaining employment, participating in community activities, affordable and sustainable... more
People with mental disorders are marginalised and socially excluded from many aspects of community life. They often experience difficulty with obtaining employment, participating in community activities, affordable and sustainable housing, financial and legal issues, transportation, and limited information about, and access to, the options that are available to them. In this article, we describe a selected number of activities that
Research Interests: Psychology, Publishing, Mental Health, Community Development, Mental Health Policy, and 10 moreCommunity Participation, Social Inclusion, Academic research, Commissioning, Mental health services, Legal Issues, Mental Disorder, Clinical Sciences, Public health systems and services research, and Social inclusion and mental health
A number of cognitive and affective barriers reduce the likelihood that young people will seek professional psychological help for either personal-emotional or suicidal problems. This paper describes a study that has examined the... more
A number of cognitive and affective barriers reduce the likelihood that young people will seek professional psychological help for either personal-emotional or suicidal problems. This paper describes a study that has examined the relationship between help- seeking barriers and intentions in high school sample. Six hundred and eight high school students completed a questionnaire measuring help-seeking intentions and barriers to
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Media reports describing the great escape of the Beaconsfield miners and indeed the focus of the Prime Minister, have been on the stoicism and bravery shown by these ‘accidental heroes’. To some extent this became a case study in defining... more
Media reports describing the great escape of the Beaconsfield miners and indeed the focus of the Prime Minister, have been on the stoicism and bravery shown by these ‘accidental heroes’. To some extent this became a case study in defining the best of what makes us proud to be Australian; as a society we greatly admire those who tolerate hardship without complaint and these characteristics are embedded in terms such as the ‘Aussie battler’. While these stoic attitudes are held in high regard, they may also prevent people from seeking emotional and psychological help when it is needed. Young people—particularly boys and young men—tend not to seek professional help when they are in psychological distress or having suicidal thoughts. Rather, young people more commonly try to sort out their problems on their own or suffer in silence. Help-seeking trends Encouraging appropriate and effective early help-seeking behaviour for mental health problems has been recognised as essential for preve...
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Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Mental Health, Social Problems, Social Support, and 10 moreLife Satisfaction, Problem Solving, Social Competence, Emotional Competence, Personality and Individual Differences, Construct Validity, Suicidal Ideation, University Student, Impulse Control, and Cross sectional Study
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Research Interests: Psychology, Anxiety Disorders, Decision Making, Mental Health, Social Support, and 17 moreAdolescent, Young People, Helping Behavior, Humans, Female, Male, Young Adult, Depressive Disorder, Mental Health Care, Help Seeking, Psychological distress, Questionnaires, Suicidal Ideation, Depressive Symptoms, University Student, Youth & Adolescence, and Treatment Refusal
Research Interests: Psychology, Mental Health, Australia, Treatment, Dual Diagnosis, and 22 morePublic Health, Adolescent, Comorbidity, Screening, Substance Abuse Treatment, Humans, Substance Abuse, Alcohol, Female, Male, Missing Data, Ethanol, Drug Addiction, Mental Disorders, Mental Disorder, Aged, Prevalence, Middle Aged, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Substance-Related Disorders, and Substance Use Disorder
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The Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) is widely used in research and practical settings and has particular application to the assessment and treatment of test anxiety in student populations. However, there are a number of instances in which a... more
The Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) is widely used in research and practical settings and has particular application to the assessment and treatment of test anxiety in student populations. However, there are a number of instances in which a short version of the TAI would be more appropriate, especially when time constraints preclude the use of the full form. Similar short forms have been developed for other measures such as the State scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; T. M. Marteau & H. Bekker, 1992). The authors of the present study aimed to develop a short form of the TAI. The TAI was completed by 333 undergraduate psychology students. Item-remainder correlations were used to compare short forms with varying numbers of items. Internal consistency and concurrent and construct validity were assessed in hypothetical and actual examination conditions. A 5-item short form produced optimal reliability and validity, and a balance of items from the Worry and Emotionality subscales of the TAI. Further research is needed to replicate these results, but the 5-item short form of the TAI shows promise, particularly for contexts in which time demands preclude the use of longer versions.
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Research Interests: Education, Medication Adherence, Evaluation, Observation, Humans, and 15 moreFemale, Male, Measure, Patient Compliance, Mental Disorders, New South Wales, Rating Scale, Washington, Middle Aged, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Videotape Recording, Reproducibility of Results, Psychiatric, and Practice Education/Clinical Evaluation
Research Interests: Mental Health, Medication Adherence, Adolescent, Staff Development, Humans, and 12 moreFemale, Male, Mental Disorders, Washington, Aged, Middle Aged, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Dissemination, Cost Benefit Analysis, Practice Education/Clinical Evaluation, and Cross-Over Studies
... empiri-cal evidence to suggest they actually offer effective protection against sui-cidal risk (Kalafat, 1997; Patton & Burns, 1998; Williams ... We thank the following students and teachers who assisted in the data... more
... empiri-cal evidence to suggest they actually offer effective protection against sui-cidal risk (Kalafat, 1997; Patton & Burns, 1998; Williams ... We thank the following students and teachers who assisted in the data collection: Naomi Ireland, Alysha Nubley, Fiona Howell, Robert Hay ...
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... Department of Psychology, Tobin Hall, Box 37710, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-7710; email: david.todd@psych.umass.edu. Journal of Counseling Psychology Volume 44, Issue 3, July 1997, Pages 294-301. ...
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Research Interests: Psychology, Educational Technology, Mental Health, Depression, Educational Psychology, and 21 moreAnxiety, Life Satisfaction, Social Desirability, Educational management and leadership, Joy, Well Being, Academic achievement, Cognitive behavior therapy, Men, Irrational Beliefs, Mental health services, Help Seeking, Theory and Practice, Educational Measurement and Evaluation, Positive Emotion, Treatment Helpfulness, High Ability Students, ANXIETY, University Student, Stepwise Regression, and Self Esteem
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Research Interests: Psychology, Mental Health, Community-Based Mental Health Services, Schizophrenia, Australia, and 17 moreActivities of Daily Living, Humans, Needs Assessment, Behavior Therapy, Female, Male, Data Collection, Mental Disorders, Case Management, Hygiene, Clinical Sciences, Community Mental Health, Severe Mental Illness, Psychological distress, Questionnaires, Reproducibility of Results, and Psychotic Disorders
Although rates of treatment seeking for mental health problems are increasing, this increase is driven primarily by antidepressant medication use, and a majority of individuals with mental health problems remain untreated. Helpseeking... more
Although rates of treatment seeking for mental health problems are increasing, this increase is driven primarily by antidepressant medication use, and a majority of individuals with mental health problems remain untreated. Helpseeking attitudes are thought to be a key barrier to mental health service use, although little is known about whether such attitudes have changed over time. Research on this topic is mixed with respect to whether helpseeking attitudes have become more or less positive. The aim of the current study was to help clarify this issue using a cross-temporal meta-analysis of scores on Fischer and Turner's (1970) helpseeking attitude measure among university students (N=6796) from 1968 to 2008. Results indicated that attitudes have become increasingly negative over time, r(44)=-0.53, p<0.01, with even stronger negative results when the data are weighted (w) for sample size and study variance, r(44)=-0.63, p<.001. This disconcerting finding may reflect the greater emphasis of Fischer and Turner's scale toward helpseeking for psychotherapy. Such attitudes may be increasingly negative as a result of the unintended negative effects of efforts in recent decades to reduce stigma and market biological therapies by medicalizing mental health problems.