Louise Anne McLean

Adjustment of Mothers of Children With Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Injuries: Testing a Risk and Resistance Model

Objective: To investigate direct and moderating effects of risk and resistance factors on the adjustment of mothers of children with obstetrical brachial plexus injuries (OBPI). Participants: Fifty-three mothers of children with OBPI recruited from an OBPI clinic in an Australian pediatric hospital. Measures: OBPI Severity Scale, Parents of Children With Disabilities Inventory, Family APGAR, Short Form Social Support Questionnaire-6, Life Orientation Test—Revised, Perceived Control of Internal States Scale, General Health Questionnaire–12. Results: The factors explained 30% of maternal adjustment variation. Resistance factors explained a unique 18%. Optimism was the only significant moderator. Conclusions: Findings confirm the importance of risk and resistance factors in maternal adjustment and enhance understanding by identifying optimism as a moderator of the risk/adjustment relationship. Interventions promoting optimism may facilitate maternal adjustment. Obstetrical brachial plexus injuries (OBPI) are estimated to occur in 0.3 to 2.0 of every 1,000 live births. Damage to the nerves of the brachial plexus is thought to occur during birth when the infant’s neck and shoulders are stretched too far apart (Laurent & Lee, 1994). Children affected by OBPI are left with permanent deficits that range from subtle functional impairment to complete paralysis and lack of sensation in the affected arm (Michelow et al., 1994). Nerve damage can also extend to the face and cause pupil constriction, eyeball recession into the orbit, and lack of facial sweating on the injured side (Clarke & Curtis, 1995). Very little is known about the effects of this condition on the psychological adjustment of the children and their families. Parents of children with OBPI are confronted with a number of possible stressors associated with their child’s condition. These can include primary surgery (nerve graft surgery) on infants as young as 6 months old, secondary surgery (shoulder, hand, or

Father participation with mothers in the Signposts program: An initial investigation

Abstract Background The Signposts program is an evidence-based intervention system for parents of children with intellectual disability and problem behaviours. This study provided an initial investigation of the outcomes for mothers associated with father participation in Signposts, using data collected from the Signposts Statewide project, conducted in Victoria, Australia. Method Data from Signposts Statewide were analysed, with the effect size Cohen’s d and 95% confidence interval around d calculated for pre- to post-program changes for 134 mothers who participated in Signposts with fathers and 483 mothers who participated without fathers. Results Although mothers in both groups benefitted from the program, as evidenced by pre- to post-program improvements across all measures, the mean effect size was notably larger for mothers who participated in Signposts with fathers. Conclusions These results highlight possible further program benefits for mothers who participate in Signposts with fathers, and are of particular significance in light of research describing the increased stress experienced by mothers of children with a disability.

Cognitive style and gender differences in children’s mathematics achievement

Males are often found to outperform females in tests of mathematics achievement and it has been proposed that this may in part be explained by differences in cognitive style. This study investigated the relation between Wholistic-Analytic and Verbal-Imagery cognitive style, gender and mathematics achievement in a sample of 190 Australian primary school students aged between 8–11 years (M = 9.77, SD = 1.05). It was hypothesised that males would outperform females in mathematics achievement tests, and that gender would interact with cognitive style on mathematics performance. A significant gender/cognitive style interaction was found. Boys with an Analytic/Imagery style achieved significantly higher results than the girls with an Analytic/Imagery style, supporting the contention that certain cognitive styles affect boys and girls mathematics performance differently. Implications of results and strategies for improving mathematics achievement among girls are discussed.

Effectiveness of a school-based early intervention CBT group programme for children with anxiety aged 5–7 years

Abstract Early manifestations of anxiety in childhood confer significant distress and life interference. This study reports on the first controlled trial of the Get Lost Mr Scary programme, a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy group intervention for children with anxiety aged 5–7 years. Participants were 134 children (65 males and 69 females) drawn from 23 public schools located in Western Sydney, Australia. A non-randomised control group design was used to assign schools to an intervention group or wait-time control group. Post-intervention results obtained from parent and teacher measures indicated that children who received the intervention showed significant reductions in their anxiety and behaviour symptoms compared to children in the wait-time group who showed no significant change. After receiving the intervention, the wait-time group showed a similar pattern of improvement. At 12-month follow-up, the intervention gains for anxiety were maintained. Clinical implications for the school setting and future directions for research are discussed.

Promoting Mental Health at School: Short-Term Effectiveness of a Popular School-Based Resiliency Programme.

Schools are increasingly seen as promising environments for initiatives to prevent mental disorders and to protect and promote mental health. This pilot study examined whether a school-based resiliency programme, Bounce Back, increased protective factors associated with resilience. Thirty-nine children aged 8–10 years (M = 9.17, SD = 0.58) from two schools in Melbourne, Australia, were allocated to the Bounce Back intervention (N = 17) or comparison (N = 22) group. Partial support for the effectiveness of the programme was found. Childrens optimism and self-efficacy in the intervention group increased significantly with a large effect size from pre- to post-intervention. These changes were maintained at the 3-month follow-up; however, changes in perceived access to supportive relationships and emotional regulation were not detected. This pilot study represents an important step in the validation of one of the most widely used programmes in Australian schools, and provides some support for its continued use.

Living well with chronic pain

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to explore factors associated with resilience in chronic pain. Methods: A sequential mixed methods design was used. Six individuals reporting low levels of psychological distress on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale and low levels of pain-related disability on the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire were interviewed about their experiences of living with chronic pain. Participants were recruited from a general medical practice in Victoria, Australia and were interviewed between May and September 2013. Potential participants were identified by treating health professionals as individuals who appeared to be coping well with chronic pain. Results: Factors associated with resilience in chronic pain included social support, confidence for physical activity, optimism and positive thinking. Caring for others was also identified as a novel protective factor. Values driven behaviour may have motivated some participants to optimise their pain management via active coping approaches. Conclusions and implications for practice: This study highlights protective factors that may contribute to resilience in chronic pain. Improved understanding of such factors may help with development of interventions to promote better adjustment to chronic pain conditions.

Interrelations of stress, optimism and control in older people's psychological adjustment

To investigate the influence of perceived stress, optimism and perceived control of internal states on the psychological adjustment of older adults.

Nature Streaming: Contrasting the Effectiveness of Perceived Live and Recorded Videos of Nature for Restoration

This study investigated whether a video of a natural landscape would be more effective for restoration, including attention restoration and recovery from stress, when perceived as live rather than recorded. In total, 60 participants undertook attention-expending and stress inducing tasks, before being randomly assigned to one of three conditions (perceived live video, recorded video, and control). Attention recovery was assessed using Digit Span Backwards (DSB) and the Necker Cube Pattern Control (NCPC) pre- and post-condition, while stress was measured via skin conductivity, heart rate, and heart rate variability. We found that only participants in the live group significantly improved on the NCPC, whereas stress recovery was similar for both perceived live and recorded groups. Our findings suggest that a perceived live stream of nature may allow for greater cognitive inhibition, an important aspect of learning, whereas both perceived live and recorded videos effectively reduced sympathetic stress responses.

Stress in mothers and fathers of children with obstetrical brachial plexus injuries

The stress load of 26 pairs of parents of children with obstetrical brachial plexus injuries (OBPI) was examined. Parents completed self-reports of condition-related stress, global stress, and psychological distress as well as medical and demographic questions. No significant differences were found between mean scores for mothers and fathers. Strong correlations were found between all study variables for mothers. Only global stress was related to psychological distress for fathers. Differences in the pattern of inter-relationships between maternal and paternal disability-related stress, global stress, and psychological distress should be taken into account when developing interventions to support families of children with OBPI.