Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Biological Motion And Face Perception In Autism Spectrum Disorder, K Ruparelia, J O'Brien, J Spencer, Harold C. Hill, A Johnston

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at The 29th European Conference on Visual Perception, 20-25 August 2006, St Petesburg, Russia

Why Developing Trusting As Well As Trust Is A Leadership Priority, Deborah A. Blackman, Terence J. Froggatt

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The paper considers the relationship between leadership, trust and trusting. The examples given look at their role in developing and supporting the learning processes needed for knowledge development. Two qualitative research projects are analysed considering how leadership, trust, learning and knowledge are affecting each other. The importance of trust was clarified but, more importantly, the notion of trusting as a differentiated set of behaviours was identified. The paper concludes that developing trust is not enough, leaders need to ensure that the theories-in-use and the espoused theories of trust are in line and that, in order to engender trust, leaders must …

Collaborative Goal Technology: Theory & Practice, Samantha Clarke, Lindsay G. Oades, Trevor P. Crowe, Frank P. Deane

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Goal striving promotes hope and enhances motivation, which is important for psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery. The Collaborative Goal Technology (CGn is a new goal striving intervention that is used to support the autonomy and recovery processes of the person with a psychiatric disability. The CGT protocol and its utility are outlined. Theory and research from goal striving, motivation and mental health recovery domains that informed the development of CGT are described. A case example is also provided.

Supportive-Expressive Psychotherapy For Cannabis Dependence, Brin F. Grenyer, Nadia Solowij

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Supportive–expressive (SE) dynamic psychotherapy forms one variation of a number of psychotherapies that emphasize the importance of effective interpersonal relationships for psychological health (Grenyer, 2002a). The overall goal of SE psychotherapy is to help the client achieve mastery over their difficulties, gain self-understanding, and practice self-control over habitual drug use and related problems. From this framework, cannabis dependence is understood within the context of the client's interpersonal relationships, work, and social problems. The theory behind the SE approach emphasizes the formative influence of life experiences on the development of personality and on the genesis of problems, including habitual cannabis use. …

Using Acceptance And Commitment Training In The Support Of Parents Of Children Diagnosed With Autism, John T. Blackledge, Steven Hayes

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Parents of autistic children face enormous challenges, but very little attention has been paid to their psychological needs. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has previously been tested with parents as part of a comprehensive package, but not yet alone. The present study used a within-subject, repeated measures design to test the effects of a 2-day (14 hour) group ACT workshop on 20 normal parents/guardians of children diagnosed with autism. Parents were assessed three weeks before the workshop, one week before, one week after, and three months after. No significant change occurred while waiting for treatment, but pre to post improvements …

The Adverse Health And Psychological Consequences Of Cannabis Dependence, Wayne Hall, Nadia Solowij

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

People who become dependent on cannabis are more likely than infrequent users to experience any of the adverse health effects that are caused by chronic cannabis use. Dependent cannabis use is rare in comparison with the more prevalent pattern of experimental and intermittent use (Bachman et al., 1997), but it may nonetheless affect as many as 1% of adults in the USA and Australia in any 1 year (Anthony et al., 1994; Hall et al., 1999a). Dependent cannabis users typically smoke two or more cannabis cigarettes a day over periods of years or decades in a minority …

The Configural Advantage In Object Change Detection Persists Across Depth Rotation, Simone K. Favelle, Stephen Palmisano, Darren Burke, William G. Hayward

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although traditionally there has been a debate over whether object recognition involves 3-D structural descriptions or 2-D views, most current approaches to object recognition include the representation of object structure in some form. An advantage for the processing of structural or configural information in objects has been recently demonstrated using a change detection task (Keane, Hayward, & Burke, 2003). We report two experiments that extend this finding and show that configural information dominates change detection performance regardless of an object's orientation. Experiment 1 demonstrated the advantage that configural information has over shape and part arrangement information in change detection across …

The Economic Value Of Healthy Workers, Shirley A. Musich, M Spooner, S Baaner, D Hook

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective

1) To demonstrate the feasibility of a designed intervention in changing targeted health behaviors and 2) to evaluate the impact of changes in health risks on the two measures of job performance (a self-reported measure of health-related work impairment (presenteeism) and an objective measure of illness absenteeism).

Design

A pre/post study design (2004-2005) utilizing Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) data to assess changes in prevalence of individual health risks and changes in two productivity measures.

Setting and Subjects

Employees of a private insurance provider in Australia.

Measures

An HRA questionnaire was used to evaluate self-reported work impairment on different aspects …

Do We Encourage Health Or Illness? A Survey Of Exercise Rehabilitation Practices For Patients In Australian Renal Units, Y. White, B. Grenyer

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: People with end stage renal disease (ESRD) have been reported as having low levels of physical activity. Sedentary behaviours increase illness risks which may lead to burdens on the public health system which include costs of medical care. Research has established that exercise is reported to improve general health and wellbeing. Benefits include better aerobic tolerance, maintenance and improvement in physical function and capacity, and improvement in self-concept and well-being. These same improvements also occur in an exercising ESRD population, even though the improvements might be of less magnitude. Renal unit staff can have a major impact on patients …

Two Year Follow-Up Of A Community Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Program In An Aboriginal Community, Frank P. Deane, Kim Capp, Caroline Jones, Dawn De Ramirez, Gordon Lambert, Beth M. Marlow, A Rees, Edwina Sullivan

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Few studies report long term follow-up of community gatekeeper training programs that aim to facilitate help-seeking for suicide and there are none in Aboriginal communities. This study aimed to determine long term effects of the Shoalhaven Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Program (SASPP), which used community gatekeeper training as its primary strategy. Following consultation with the Aboriginal community, a brief questionnaire and semi-structured interview was completed by 40 participants who attended a community gatekeeper workshop 2 years earlier. Fifteen of the 40 participants stated that they had helped someone at risk of suicide over the 2-year follow-up period. Intentions to help and …

Evolution And Sustainability Of The Helping Hands Volunteer Program: Consumer Recovery And Mental Health Comparisoins Six Years On, Frank P. Deane, Retta Andresen

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Helping Hands program commenced in 1999 and partners volunteers with mental health consumers for support and to increase social contact, recreational and friendship opportunities. The aim of the present study is to describe the evolution and sustainability of the program over the first 6 years. A description of consumers accessing the program using recovery-oriented measures and traditional measures of behavioural functioning is also provided. Service data was collected on the development of the program, service utilisation, volunteer participation and funding patterns. Cross-sectional measures of recovery and baseline and follow-up Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) were collected on …

Synthesis And In Vitro Binding Of N,N-Dialkyl-2-Phenylindol-3-Ylglyoxylamides For The Peripheral Benzodiazepine Binding Sites, T. P. Homes, F. Mattner, Paul A. Keller, A. Katsifis

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

A series of N,N-dialkyl-2-phenylindol-3-ylglyoxylamides bearing the halogens iodine and bromine were synthesised and their binding affinity for the peripheral benzodiazepine binding sites (PBBS) in rat kidney mitochondrial membranes were evaluated using [3H]-PK11195. Central benzodiazepine receptor (CBR) affinities were also evaluated in rat cortices using 3H-flumazenil to determine their selectivity for PBBS over CBR. The tested compounds had PBBS binding affinities (IC50) ranging from 7.86 nM to 618 nM, with all compounds showing high selectivity over the CBR (CBR IC50 > 5000 nM). Among the 12 compounds tested, those with a diethylamide group were the most potent. The highest affinity iodinated PBBS …

A Holistic Approach To Aboriginal Well Health Screening, Jill Mitchell, Kathryn Weston

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

Moving past crisis management to the implementation of effective primary health care programs is key to rapid improvement in Aboriginal health. Historically. service delivery has been based on a sickness and disease model rather than an approach that focuses towards well health. Well health incorporates disease prevention. early intervention and management to restore physical and mental health, together with social health and wellbeing. Social health and wellbeing are crucial components of the holistic approach required to address the determinants of health, socio-ilconomic disadvantage and continuing grief which are evident in many remote Aboriginal communities.

Calculation Of The Cosmogenic Nuclide Production Topographic Shielding Scaling Factor For Large Areas Using Dems, Alexandru T. Codilean

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

The recent surge of applications using terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCNs) to calculate catchment-averaged erosion rates from isotopic concentrations in fluvial sediment, and the prospect of coupling TCN production functions with numerical surface process models (SPMs), necessitate a fast and accurate algorithm for the calculation of topographic shielding. Topographic shielding refers to the proportion of the incoming cosmic radiation that is shielded by the surrounding topography, the scaling factor being defined as the ratio of the unshielded (total minus shielded) to the total (or maximum) cosmic ray flux (i.e. the flux received by a horizontal, unobstructed surface). Topography contributes to the …

The Chronic Heart-Failure Assistance By Telephone (Chat) Study: Assessment Of Telephone Support For Vulnerable Patients With Chronic Disease, Julie Yallop, Bianca Chan, Leon Piterman, Andrew Tonkin, Andrew Forbes, Patricia M. Davidson, Robyn Clark, Elizabeth Halcomb, Andrea Nangle, Simon Stewart, Joanne Croucher, Henry Krum

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

Aim: To determine whether telephone support using an evidence-based protocol for chronic heart failure (CHF) management will improve patient outcomes and will reduce hospital readmission rates in patients without access to hospital-based management programs. Methods: The rationale and protocol for a cluster-design randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a semi-automated telephone intervention for the management of CHF, the Chronic Heart-failure Assistance by Telephone (CHAT) Study is described. Care is coordinated by trained cardiac nurses located in Heartline, the national call center of the National Heart Foundation of Australia in partnership with patients' general practitioners (GPs). Conclusions: The CHAT Study model represents …

Impact Of Transatlantic Transport Episodes On Summertime Ozone In Europe, G Guerova, I Bey, J Attie, R Martin, J Cui, M Sprenger

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

This paper reports on the transport of ozone (O₃) and related species over the North Atlantic ocean and its impact on Europe. Measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) columns from the GOME and MOPITT satellite instruments, respectively, are used in conjunction with the GEOS-CHEM global model of transport and tropospheric chemistry to identify the major events of long range transport that reach Europe over the course of summer 2000. Sensitivity model simulations are used to analyse observed O₃ distributions with respect to the impact of long range transport events. For that purpose, …

Fatality After Deliberate Ingestion Of Sustained-Release Ibuprofen: A Case Report, David Wood, Jane Monaghan, Peter Streete, Alison L. Jones, Paul Dargan

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

Introduction Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug available over the counter and on prescription for the management of pain and inflammation. Severe toxicity is rare following deliberate self-poisoning with ibuprofen, and patients are usually either asymptomatic or develop only mild gastrointestinal toxicity. Although there have been nine other reported fatalities, co-existent factors have probably contributed to all of these deaths. We report here a fatality from isolated toxicity following self-poisoning with sustained-release ibuprofen. Case report A 26-year-old female presented after deliberate ingestion of up to 105 g sustained-release ibuprofen, with a reduced level of consciousness, severe metabolic acidosis and haemodynamic …

An Assessment Of Obese And Non Obese Girls’ Metabolic Rate During Television Viewing, Reading, And Resting., Theodore V. Cooper, L. M. Klesges, M. W. Debon, R. C. Klesges, M. L. Shelton

Theodore V. Cooper

No abstract provided.

General And Smoking Cessation Related Weight Concerns In Veterans., Theodore V. Cooper, M. Dundon, B. M. Hoffman, C. J. Stoever

Theodore V. Cooper

No abstract provided.

Homocysteine, Folate, And Vitamins B6 And B12 Blood Levels In Relation To Cognitive Performance: The Maine-Syracuse Study, Merrill F. Elias, Michael A. Robbins, Marc M. Budge, Penelope K. Elias, Suzanne L. Brennan, Carole Johnston, Zsuzsanna Nagy, Christopher J. Bates

Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Papers

Objective: Our objective was to examine associations among plasma homocysteine concentrations (tHcy), the tHcy-cofactors (folate, vitamins B6 and B₁₂), and multiple domains of cognitive performance, with statistical adjustment for possible confounds, including cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVD-RF) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: Subjects were 812 partici- pants (58% women) of the Maine-Syracuse study who were free of dementia and stroke. Employing a cross-sectional design and multiple regression analyses, fasting concentrations of tHcy and its vitamin cofactors (folate, B6, and B12) were related to multiple domains of cognitive performance. Results: With adjustment for age, education, gender, ethnicity, and the …

The Implications Of Changing Educational And Family Circumstances For Children's Grade Progression In Rural Pakistan: 1997-2004, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Cem Mete, Monica J. Grant

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council working paper assesses the effects of primary school characteristics, household characteristics, and recent household economic and demographic shocks on school dropout rates during the first eight grades in rural Punjab and North West Frontier Province, Pakistan. While grade retention has improved over the past six years, dropout rates for girls remain fairly high, particularly at the end of primary school (grade five). The results of this study show clearly the complementary nature of supply and demand factors in determining grade progression in rural Pakistan, particularly for girls. The results suggest that substantial improvement in the schooling environment …

Informed Consent In Hiv Prevention Trials: Report Of An International Workshop, C. Elizabeth Mcgrory, Barbara Friedland, Cynthia Woodsong, Kathleen M. Macqueen

HIV and AIDS

This report summarizes key themes and issues on informed consent in HIV prevention trials as part of an international workshop co-hosted by Population Council and Family Health International in May 2005.

The Role Of Attention In Processing Configural And Shape Information In 3d Novel Objects, Simone K. Favelle, Stephen Palmisano, Darren Burke, William G. Hayward

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Recent research suggests that there is an advantage for processing configural information in scenes and objects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which attention may account for this configural advantage. In Experiment 1, we found that cueing the location of change in single object displays improved detection performance for both configural and shape changes, yet cueing attention away from the location of change was detrimental only for shape change detection. A configural advantage was present for each cueing condition. Experiments 2A and 2B examined whether the configural advantage persisted in conditions where attention was distributed …

Pop Promotions For Alcolhol: Increasing Brand Loyalty Or Just Increasing Binge Drinking?, Melissa Lynch, Sandra C. Jones

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The consumption of alcohol by young Australians in general, and at risky levels has increased. University students, as part of this group, display consistent and increasing risky drinking patterns. One key area of interest in understanding this situation is the use of alcohol advertising and marketing. Of particular interest to this research is the use of point-of-purchase promotions in licensed venues and the impact they may have on consumption. In order to help understand these promotions, focus groups were conducted with male university students between the age of 18 and 24 years from the University of Wollongong. Overall, the perception …

Ethical Issues In Social Marketing, Sandra C. Jones, Danika V. Hall

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

"As a community ofprofessionals we have adopted no standards of ethics and it is probable that most of our community has not read or analysed the guidelines set up for either commercial advertising or commercial marketing" (Smith, 2001) Unfortunately, deciding what is ethical in social marketing (as in marketing in general) is rarely simple. In most cases, there is not a definitive right and wrong; for example, it is often the case that we are dealing with controversial products or sensitive behaviours (e.g., contraceptives and central practices) and/or two principles which are seen to be "right" by different groups are …

Importance Of Soy Protein And Isoflavone Intake For Protection Against Heart Disease, A Thorp, J Buckley, A Coates, Trevor A Mori, Jo Hodgson, Jackie Mansour, Peter Howe, Barbara Meyer

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at The 2006 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society of Australia, 29 November - 2 December, Sydney, Australia

Professional Hope In Working With Older Adults, Terry Koenig, Richard Spano

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Writings about hope within gerontological literature assume social workers already possess hope that they can use in their practice. The purpose of this article is to challenge this assumption and to examine ways in which social workers can sustain hope in personal life, in their agencies, and in the reform of larger social structures that impact older adults. The authors examine culture change in nursing homes as an emerging approach that can be more fully developed by applying the strengths perspective to interpersonal work with elders, agency change and broader structural change.

Berhane Hewan ('Light For Eve'): A Program To Support Married And Unmarried Adolescent Girls In Rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Berhane Hewan (meaning “Light for Eve” in Amharic) is a program in rural Amhara region designed to assist unmarried girls by imparting the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to avoid child marriage as well as give support to adolescent girls who are already married. With support from UNFPA, DFID, and the Turner Foundation, the program is implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Regional Youth Bureaus, with technical assistance from the Population Council. The program promotes functional literacy, life skills, livelihoods skills, and reproductive health education. In developing the project, the Regional Youth Bureau staff felt …

Developmental Needs Of Adolescents And Media, Laura M. Padilla-Walker

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Adolescence is marked by a number of physical, cognitive, and social changes that interact to create a number of developmental needs specific to this age group. As adolescents seek to define themselves independently of their parents, they often turn to media as sources of self-socialization and of messages about their identity in terms of gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. Although parents and peers remain influential during this transition, this entry focuses on adolescents’ use of media to navigate developmental changes and cope with the daily difficulties of being teenagers, and on the role of media in shaping adolescents’ development of identity …

Facts About Adolescents From The Demographic And Health Survey—Statistical Tables For Program Planning: Malawi 2000, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Population Council initiated its work on adolescents in the mid-1990s. At that time, those advocating greater attention to adolescent issues were concerned about adolescent fertility—particularly outside of marriage—and adolescent “risk-taking” behavior. As an international scientific organization with its mandate centered around the needs of developing countries, the Council sought a more nuanced and context-specific understanding of the problems confronting adolescents in the developing world. In working with colleagues inside and outside the Council, it became clear that information on adolescents, and the way data are organized, were limiting the ability to understand the diversity of their experiences or to …