Anne Swinbourne

Stages of change, smoking behaviour and readiness to quit in a large sample of indigenous Australians living in eight remote north Queensland communities.

Tobacco smoking is a major health issue for Indigenous Australians, however there are few interventions with demonstrated efficacy in this population. The Transtheoretical Model may provide a useful framework for describing smoking behaviour and assessing readiness to quit, with the aim of developing better interventions. Interviews were conducted with 593 Indigenous Australians in eight rural and remote communities in north Queensland, to examine stages of change and smoking behaviour. Among current smokers, 39.6% and 43.4% were in Precontemplation and Contemplation stages respectively. A further 13.9% were making preparations to quit (Preparation) whilst only 3.2% said they were actively trying to quit (Action). When analysed by stage of change, the pattern of smoking-related behaviours conformed to the results of past research using the model. Importantly however, distribution of individuals across the stages opposes those observed in investigations of smoking behaviour in non-Indigenous Australian populations. The Transtheoretical Model can be used to meaningfully classify Indigenous smokers in remote north Queensland according to stages along the behaviour change continuum. Importantly, in this large sample across eight communities, most Indigenous smokers were not making preparations to change their smoking behaviour. This suggests that interventions should focus on promoting movement toward the Preparation and Action stages of change.

Helping friends: a peer support program for senior secondary schools

Abstract Peer support is used frequently in addressing the health of young people. Helping Friends builds on the existing peer helping networks in schools to improve the availability, accessibility and appropriateness of social and personal support. It increases young people’s knowledge of and access to referral options (in and out of school) and assists in the development of a safe and supportive school environment. Twenty-two schools in North Queensland, Australia participated in the program with many participating on several occasions. An evaluation of the Helping Friends program using the Social Provision Scale (Cutrona & Russell, 1987) was undertaken to determine whether there was an increase in perceived social support as hypothesised. Results revealed small yet significant increases along subscales of the Social Provision Scale. Pre and post measures of helping skills and knowledge of helping topics also revealed a significant increase following students’ participation in training workshops. The results are discussed in terms of the efficacy of peer support programs for addressing the health needs of young people. The findings can be used to guide secondary schools in making decisions on the value of peer support programs and their application in school and out of school settings.

Transferring an Analytical Technique from Ecology to the Sport Sciences

BackgroundLearning transfer is defined as an individual’s capability to apply prior learnt perceptual, motor, or conceptual skills to a novel task or performance environment. In the sport sciences, learning transfers have been investigated from an athlete-specific perspective. However, sport scientists should also consider the benefits of cross-disciplinary learning to aid critical thinking and metacognitive skill gained through the interaction with similar quantitative scientific disciplines.ObjectiveUsing team sports performance analysis as an example, this study aimed to demonstrate the utility of a common analytical technique in ecology in the sports sciences, namely, nonmetric multidimensional scaling.MethodsTo achieve this aim, three novel research examples using this technique are presented, each of which enables the analysis and visualization of athlete (organism), team (aggregation of organisms), and competition (ecosystem) behaviors.ResultsThe first example reveals the technical behaviors of Australian Football League Brownlow medalists from the 2001 to 2016 seasons. The second example delineates dissimilarity in higher and lower ranked National Rugby League teams within the 2016 season. Lastly, the third example shows the evolution of game play in the basketball tournaments between the 2004 and 2016 Olympic Games.ConclusionsIn addition to the novel findings of each example, the collective results demonstrate that, by embracing cross-disciplinary learning and drawing upon an analytical technique common to ecology, novel solutions to pertinent research questions within sports performance analysis could be addressed in a practically meaningful way. Cross-disciplinary learning may subsequently assist sport scientists in the analysis and visualization of multivariate datasets.

Development and validation of a work stressor scale for Australian farming families.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this research was to gain insight into the key stressors for Australian farming families. It is well established that the farming work environment consists of a number of unique stressors which arise from dependency on factors beyond an individuals control (e.g. climate conditions) as well as the overlap between work and family environments. Despite this, limited research has included family factors in the assessment of stress felt by farmers and their families. This research sought to develop a scale of stressors for farming families in an Australian sample. DESIGN A survey design was used for validity and reliability studies. The validity study involved assessment of factor structure, concurrent validity and discriminant validity. The reliability study used a test-retest reliability design. PARTICIPANTS Participants were recruited from across Australia (38% Queensland; 30% New South Wales) and multiple industries (43% beef; 27% broadacre cropping; 26% horticulture). The validity study involved 278 participants and the reliability study involved 53 participants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Development of a Farming Family Stressor scale. RESULTS The generated Farming Family Stressor scale presented satisfactory levels of concurrent validity (e.g. r = .73 against the Farm Stress Survey total score), discriminant validity (e.g. r = -.42 to r = .53 against the Satisfaction with Life and Kessler-10 total scores, respectively), internal consistency (Cronbachs alpha >.90) and test-retest reliability (rho > .66). CONCLUSION This research lends insight into the complexity of stressors for farming families and has implications for occupational health and mental health programs that seek to reduce stress and improve health outcomes for that group.

An examination of the internal consistency and structure of the Statistical Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS)

The purpose of the current study was to examine the internal consistency and structure of the English version of the Statistical Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS). Participants were 202 (79% females) psychology undergraduates was recruited from James Cook University’s Singapore (71%) and Australia (29%) campuses. Acceptable internal consistency reliabilities, ranging from .81 to .94, were found in this sample. Approximate fit indices suggest that a correlated six first-order factor model best describes the data in contrast to theoretical considerations suggesting that a six factor model with two correlated superordinate factors (i.e., statistics anxiety and attitudes toward statistics) best describes the data. Researchers are recommended to use part one of the STARS to assess statistics anxiety and part two to assess attitudes toward statistics.

Improving mental health outcomes assessment with the Mental Health Inventory-21

Objective There is a growing consensus that mental health should be conceptualised as a complete state that considers both illness and well‐being components. In Australian mental health services, the Mental Health Inventory (MHI) is the only one of the three currently used consumer outcome measures that includes this broader perspective. However, the MHI has been criticised for its length, and variable factor structure. In order to improve the clinical utility of the MHI, a reliability and validity study of the MHI was undertaken. Method The original 38‐item version of the MHI was administered to an Australian adult community sample (n = 616), along with two other consumer outcome measures (BASIS‐32 and Kessler‐10), a measure of psychological distress (DASS‐21) and a measure of well‐being (Satisfaction with Life Scale). Results Parallel analysis did not support the original factor structure of the MHI. The data indicated a correlated three‐factor structure, measuring psychological distress, emotional well‐being, and hopelessness. Seventeen items were deleted due to split loadings > .3, producing a shorter 21‐item scale. New simplified additive scoring rules were also developed to support the practical utility of the scale. Conclusion Research, clinical practice and consumer feedback consistently highlight the need for a balanced assessment approach to mental health, which considers not only illness symptomatology, but also the characteristics of well‐being that support recovery. Use of the three subscales of the MHI‐21 would support a complete state assessment of mental health outcomes.

Effect of portable non-invasive ventilation & environmental conditions on everyday activities

The current study examined the effect of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) within environments of differing temperature and humidity on several physiological and perceptual responses while performing six activities of daily living (i.e. putting on shirt/shoes/trousers, vacuuming, hanging towels, and walking on a treadmill). Sixteen healthy participants completed the activities of varying difficulty within four experimental conditions: with and without NIV; and in temperate (22°C, 40% relative humidity) and hot-humid environments (32°C, 70% relative humidity). Comparisons of physiological responses between conditions were examined via repeated measures ANOVAs. Overall, NIV resulted in similar physiological and perceptual responses within all environmental conditions for healthy participants. Further, NIV use increased heart rate during the most strenuous task (29.5±12.7 vs. 22.8±12.0bpm, p=0.008) indicating NIV use may stress cardiovascular functioning during moderate-high intensity activities. Tropical conditions did not alter physiological or perceptual responses during everyday tasks with NIV use by healthy adults. Future investigations examining the independent and combined impacts of task intensity, extreme environments and NIV use will clarify the benefits of NIV for healthy and clinical populations.

An investigation of the influence of "alternate" prototypes on incidental sun exposure in a high-risk region

A systematic review of randomized controlled trials studying the preventive effects of physical exercise, manual and behavioural treatments in acute low back pain and neck painIntroduction: The global financial crisis has left governments struggling to reduce their budget deficits. Loans and taxes are two important financial instruments for governments to close their budget gaps. According to models of temporal discounting and expected utility individuals should experience loans as a greater loss than taxes, depleting psychological resources and reducing individuals’ capacity to cope with stressors. The present research examined patterns of cardiovascular (CV) reactivity associated with exposure to loans or taxes. Methods: We randomised 73 students to one of three groups: loans, taxes, control (baseline). Participants in the experimental groups imagined finishing university with debts and having to repay the sums outstanding as a proportion of their salaried income over the next 30 years either via a loan repayment, or via taxes. Participants in the control group imagined finishing university, and then working in salaried employment over the next 30 years. All participants then performed a variant of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), whilst CV responses were monitored [BP (blood pressure), ECG (electrocardiogram), ICG (impedance cardiogram)]. Results: Compared to the control group, participants in the loan group exhibited maladaptive CV responses during the stress task (higher BP and higher total peripheral resistance [TPR]). Conversely, participants in the taxes group exhibited more adaptive CV responses and did not differ from the control group. Conclusions: Economic considerations have dominated debates surrounding macro-financial performance. The present research highlights the need to consider the psychological costs and benefits of tax-based and loan-based financial instruments.

Implicit ambivalence toward alcohol consumption

Introduction and Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate patterns of supplement use among male university students, who have been identified as high consumers of these substances. Design and Methods: An online survey investigating supplement use was conducted over four weeks. Participants were sent a link to the survey via email and through posts on the online homepages of units from the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University. Results: Sixty-one males completed the survey (median age 21 years). All participants had used at least one supplement in their lifetime, with most having used legal supplements; the most commonly used supplement was sports drinks (80%), followed by protein (80%), and vitamins and minerals (80%). Although no participants reported use of anabolic-androgenic steroids, 18% would consider using them in the future. Motivations for use differed according to substance; for instance, vitamins and minerals were used for general health purposes while creatine was used to gain muscle. Friends were a common source of information about supplements (57%), followed by online (36%) and a supplement store staff member (22%). Participants reported few negative side effects from supplement use. Discussion and Conclusions: Supplement use is common among this group, and some indicate intentions to use more serious substances such as steroids. This study presents valuable findings about supplement use habits and patterns among male university students. However, more research is needed among this population to determine whether body image and exercise habits can influence supplement use.Abstract presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2014, 9-12 November 2014, Adelaide, AustraliaAbstract presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2014, 9-12 November 2014, Adelaide, AustraliaIntroduction and aims: contemporary research examining drinking behaviour highlights the importance of implicit processes in the initiation and maintenance of alcohol consumption. By definition, implicit attitudes are formed through experience with a target object. It is argued that implicit attitudes toward alcohol may be ambivalent because consuming alcohol can produce various negative (e.g. feeling nauseous) and positive consequences (e.g. feeling relaxed). Therefore the aim of the current study was to examine the ambivalent nature of implicit alcohol-related attitudes. Design and methods: participants (N= 343, M= 25.72 years) completed a Single-Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT) in which they were required to classify alcohol-related words with positively- and negatively-valenced words. The reaction times (RTs) for each pairing were then calculated and compared. Implicit ambivalence was operationalised as having similar RTs for classifying alcohol-related words with positive words and classifying alcohol-related words with negative words. Results: RTs for pairing alcohol with positive words (M= 752ms) were similar to those pairing alcohol with negative words (M= 716ms), suggesting implicit ambivalence toward alcohol consumption. ANOVAs revealed a pattern of results suggesting that drinking more standard drinks in a single drinking episode produced greater feelings of implicit ambivalence. Discussion and conclusions: these findings suggest that individuals hold both positive and negative implicit evaluations toward alcohol consumption. Furthermore, implicit attitudes toward alcohol may become more ambivalent as individuals consume more alcohol. This suggests that greater alcohol consumption may produce more experiences with both positive and negative consequences and lead to the development of implicitly ambivalent attitudes.

Incidental sun exposure: using the prototype willingness (PW) model to explain the unexplored

Are socioeconomic position, work stress, and work complexity associated to mobility after retirement?Abstracts from the ICBM 2014 Meetings from the ICBM 2014 MeetingIntroduction: Attitudinal ambivalence occurs when individuals endorse both positive and negative attitudes toward the same target object. Ambivalent attitudes are particularly relevant for addictive behaviours, as these behaviours may have both positive and negative evaluations associated with them. For example, drinking alcohol may make someone relaxed but can also produce feelings of nausea. Despite this, the majority of research focused on attitudes toward addictive behaviours assume that these attitudes are either positive or negative, not positive and negative. By assessing ambivalence toward addictive behaviours, a greater understanding of the nature of attitudes underlying these behaviours can be realised. Method: A total of 247 participants (M= 28.76 years) took part in this study. A measure of potential ambivalence, which asks participants to indicate their positive and negative evaluations on split semantic differential scales, was completed for five different health behaviours: drinking on a weekday and a weekend, exercising, increasing fruit and vegetable intake and smoking. Results: Attitudes toward alcohol consumption were found to be the most ambivalent. When examining drinking behaviour, a pattern emerged suggesting that the greater the quantity of alcohol consumed, the more ambivalent participants were toward drinking. Similar patterns were found for smoking. Conclusions: The results suggest that attitudinal ambivalence is an important aspect of addictive behaviours, as participants engaging in greater levels of these behaviours also reported higher levels of ambivalence. This indicates that individuals are aware of the positives and negatives of addictive behaviours but continue to perform them anyway.Salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase (sAA) that reflect hypothalamopituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis) activity and sympathetic activity within the autonomic nervous system (ANS) respectively, are bio ...Introduction: Previous research has developed an 11-item self-report measure assessing activation and pressure stress among adolescents. However, the biological correlates of this measure are uncle ...