Craig Harms

Family systems and mental health issues: A resilience approach

In many cases the consumers of mental health information and support are the families of mental health sufferers. The aim of the project was to understand resilience in people who live with or support a family member with a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness. Participants were 15 carers (one male, 14 female). Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed using content analysis. Eight recurring themes emerged which indicated the challenges the carers faced and provided indications of the positive and negative personal, family and social factors that impacted on their lives. These themes were ‘Getting to CLAN WA’, ‘Accessing help including CLAN WA’, ‘Impact of living with a person who has a mental illness or problematic behaviour’, ‘Family and cultural issues’, ‘Communication within the family’,‘Coping strategies and evidence of resilience’, ‘Social support’ and ‘Notion of sacrifice’. There is still considerable work to do in supporting people who live with or support a family member in these circumstances. The findings demonstrate that individuals living with adversity can do more than just survive the process.

Prevalence and Demographic Correlates of Alexithymia: A Comparison Between Australian Psychiatric and Community Samples

OBJECTIVES A cross-sectional empirical design was used to compare differences in alexithymia between Australian psychiatric and community samples and examine the influence of sample type on the relation between alexithymia and psychological distress. METHOD Psychiatric outpatients (N = 151) and a convenience sample of the general community (N = 216) completed questionnaires measuring alexithymia and psychological distress. RESULTS Alexithymia was several times more prevalent in the psychiatric sample than the community sample. While the psychiatric sample reported greater psychological distress, no difference was found in the strength of the association between alexithymia and psychological distress between the study samples. CONCLUSION These findings emphasize the pervasive problem alexithymia presents within the Australian psychiatric population and the importance of increasing recognition of alexithymia for the future research about and treatment of psychiatric patients.

Crime Prevention: The Role of Individual Resilience within the Family.

Resilience is context dependent but for resilience to be present, two elements must co-occur: adversity (i.e., high-risk situation/threat) and successful adaptation/competence. An understanding of resilience is important for professionals dealing with at-risk families. This exploratory research investigated how individuals caring for a family member with a mental illness adapted to the role of carer or supporter. Fifteen participants mostly aged 50 years or more were interviewed. Content analysis was used to develop themes from the interview transcripts. Seven themes were elicited from the data. Three of these fit with existing knowledge about challenges faced by offenders’ families. The article concludes that strengthening families and improving family communication is not only important for good individual mental health and family functioning but may also play a role in crime prevention/reduction. Implications for those working in mental health settings are provided.

Alexithymia stability and therapeutic outcome in an Australian psychiatric outpatient sample: Alexithymia stability and therapeutic outcome

Background: The aim was to examine the role of alexithymia on therapeutic outcome in a naturalistic group therapy setting, as well as the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural group therapy in reducing alexithymia. Methods: A pre-test/post-test research design was used to examine alexithymia before and after treatment. Preand post-alexithymia and psychological distress scores from routinely administered measures were retrieved for 61 psychiatric outpatients referred for group therapy at a mental health facility. Correlation, repeated measures t-test, and regression analyses were conducted to explore the data. Results: Baseline alexithymia was not a significant predictor of group therapy outcome (change in psychological distress) once baseline psychological distress was controlled for. There was a small but significant reduction in mean-level alexithymia scores over the course of therapy. A high level of relative stability was observed in alexithymia scores, independent of change in psychological distress severity. A reduction in alexithymia during treatment was a significant predictor of a reduction in psychological distress over the course of therapy. Conclusions: High baseline alexithymia does not present a therapeutic disadvantage for patients receiving cognitive-behavioural group therapy. However, cognitive-behavioural group therapy is somewhat effective at improving alexithymic features, and this improvement can provide symptom relief by the end of treatment. Thus, it may advantageous for clinicians to treat alexithymia in order to enhance therapeutic intervention.

Effects of Parental Stress, Optimism, and Health-Promoting Behaviors on the Quality of Life of Primiparous and Multiparous Mothers

Background Parental stress, optimism, and health-promoting behaviors (HPBs) are important predictors of the quality of life (QoL) of mothers. However, it is unclear how strongly these predictors affect the QoL of mothers. It is also unclear if the impact of these predictors on QoL differs between primiparous and multiparous mothers. In this study, we defined primiparous as “bearing young for the first time” and multiparous as “having experienced one or more previous childbirths.” Objectives The first objective of this study was to examine the relative effect of parental stress, optimism, and HPBs on the QoL of mothers. The second objective was to investigate if the effect of these predictors differed between primiparous and multiparous mothers. Methods One hundred ninety-four Australian mothers (n = 87, 44.8% primiparous mothers) participated in an online survey that included the Parental Stress Scale, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II, the Revised Life Orientation Test, and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results All predictors (parental stress, optimism, and HPBs) significantly affected the QoL of mothers; higher levels of optimism, greater use of HPBs, and lower parental stress were associated with higher levels of QoL for all mothers. Parity did not affect the relationships. Discussion This study sheds light on the nature and unique effect of parental stress, optimism, and HPBs on the QoL of mothers.

The protective factors for resilience scale (PFRS): Development of the scale

Abstract The present paper outlines the development of the Protective Factors for Resilience Scale (PFRS). To address limitations in the literature related to measuring psychological resilience this paper outlines a two stage process in developing the PFRS. After an initial exploratory factor analysis (Stage 1: N = 413 adults), the result of confirmatory factor analysis (Stage 2: N = 240 adults) supported the proposed model where a single second-order factor explained the degree of association between three lower order factors (Personal Resources, Social Resources Family and Social Resources Peers, each indicated by 5 items per factor). Other evidence of the construct validity for the PFRS was observed in stage 2 as the expected associations between the PFRS and measures of self-esteem, coping styles (except for problem-focused coping) and life satisfaction were observed. Although future testing of the PFRS with other populations is needed, the results of the present study provide initial evidence to support the view that the PFRS is a psychometrically sound, brief and broad measure of three protective factors associated with resilience.

Predictors of unstructured play amongst preschool children in Australia

THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT unstructured play for preschool aged children is diminishing in Australia, however, the reasons for this decline have not been previously explored in depth. The current research examines the amount of time preschool children spend engaged in unstructured play and the predictors of unstructured play for these children. Data is drawn from the results of 564 Australian parent participants who completed an online survey, detailing the activities of their preschool aged children. Results found that children who participated in playgroup were more likely to participate in unstructured play, while children who participated in organised activities were less likely to participate in unstructured play. When the children in this study slept longer, read more and watched television less, they were more likely to participate in unstructured play, however, the number of hours spent watching television has no apparent effect on the number of hours a child engages in play. This research emphasises and reinforces the importance of balance in activities for optimal health and positive outcomes for Australian children.