Richard E. Hicks

Exploring the Effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing in Re-engaging People Diagnosed with Severe Psychiatric Conditions in Work, Study, or Community Participation

Motivational interviewing has been used effectively to promote positive change in a variety of clinical settings. Several authors have suggested that motivational interviewing also be used to improve vocational outcomes among people living with a serious mental health condition. This study investigated the effectiveness of motivational interviewing in improving employment-related outcomes among people living with a persisting mental health condition. Twenty-six volunteers diagnosed with long-term mental health conditions were assigned to two groups: The experimental group received a brief motivational interviewing intervention while control group members were mailed information to assist them to return to paid or unpaid work. Both groups were followed up after 6 and 12 months to compare occupational outcomes. The results of this study revealed significantly higher rates of paid employment at 12-month follow-up among participants in the motivational interviewing group compared with the control group. The findings demonstrate that motivational interviewing might be worth exploring as a user-friendly intervention that can assist in improving vocational outcomes among people recovering from a serious mental health condition. Further research using a larger sample size is needed to confirm these results.

Employment Status, Attributional Style and Psychological Well-being: A Study of Vietnamese Employed and Unemployed in Queensland

Abstract The aim of the current study was to examine the psychological impact of employment status, locus of control and attribution stability in the Vietnamese community in a Queensland sample. It was hypothesised that employment status, locus of control and stability of attributions regarding employment status would contribute significantly to the prediction of depression, anxiety, stress and somatisation symptomatology. One hundred and seventeen people in the Vietnamese community participated in this community-based explorative research. Results indicated that employment status and locus of control made significant contributions to the prediction of depression, stress, anxiety and somatisation. The clinical implication from the current research is that in the Asian community studied, individuals who encounter an adverse situation such as unemployment, and internally attribute that adverse experience to themselves, have a higher risk of developing mental disorders. Practitioners working in the field may find this information useful in their consultations with the ‘at-risk’ community.

Emotion recognition and verbal and non-verbal memory changes among older adults: Is decline generalised or modular?

Declines in cognitive abilities among ageing adults are observed phenomena. But are these declines ‘across the board’ or are they modular? The answer affects theory and practice, including potential treatments that may reduce the declines. Deficits in emotion recognition may provide a window into what is occurring in the ageing brain. We investigated whether changes in recognition of emotion could be attributed to a decline in memory processes. Sixty-two participants recruited from South-Eastern Queensland divided into young (19-49), middle old (49-64) and old (65 and above) cohorts performed computer administered tasks assessing emotion recognition, verbal and non-verbal memory. Older adults evidenced decline in recognition of anger, surprised and fearful faces. In addition, age related decline was evident in verbal memory performance. However, there was no corresponding decline in non-verbal memory performance. The dissociation of non-verbal memory performance from emotion recognition performance provides support for a modular decline model of age-related decline. The detection of decline in both verbal memory performance and emotion recognition suggests a common underlying process may be associated with both. Performance on the emotion recognition task may be verbally mediated. This study provides valuable insight into the ageing process and suggests decline may occur asynchronously- that is, is modular.

Employee perceptions of organization culture with respect to fraud – where to look and what to look for

Purpose Recent research has confirmed an underlying economic logic that connects each of the three vertices of the “fraud triangle” – a fundamental criminological model of factors driving occupational fraud. It is postulated that in the presence of economic motivation and opportunity (the first two vertices of the fraud triangle), the likelihood of an occupational fraud happening in an organization increases substantially if the overall organization culture is perceived as being slack toward fraud as it helps potential fraudsters in rationalizing their actions (rationalization being the third vertex of the fraud triangle). This paper aims to offer a viable approach for collecting and processing of data to identify and operationalize the key factors underlying employee perception of organization culture toward occupational frauds. Design/methodology/approach This paper reports and analyses the results of a pilot study conducted using a convenience sampling approach to identify and operationalize the key factors underlying employee perception of organization culture with respect to occupational frauds. Given a very small sample size, a numerical testing technique based on the binomial distribution has been applied to test for significance of the proportion of respondents who agree that a lenient organizational culture toward fraud can create a rationalization for fraud. Findings The null hypothesis assumed no difference in the population proportions between those who agree and those who disagree with the view that a lenient organizational culture toward fraud can create a rationalization for fraud. Based on the results of the numerical test, the null hypothesis is rejected in favor of the alternative that the population proportion of those who agree with the stated view in fact exceeded the proportion of those who disagreed. Research limitations/implications The obvious limitation is the very small size of the sample obtained because of an extremely low rate of response to the survey questionnaires. However, while of course a much bigger data set needs to be collected to develop a generalizable prediction model, the small sample was enough for the purpose of a pilot study. Practical implications This paper makes two distinct practical contributions. First, it posits a viable empirical research plan for identifying, collecting and processing the right data to identify and operationalize the key underlying factors that capture an employee’s perception of organizational culture toward fraud as a basis for rationalizing an act of fraud. Second, it demonstrates via a small-scale pilot study that a more broad-based survey can indeed prove to be extremely useful in collating the sort of data that is needed to develop a computational model for predicting the likelihood of occupational fraud in any organization. Originality/value This paper provides a viable framework which empirical researchers can follow to test some of the latest advances in the “fraud triangle” theory. It outlines a systematic and focused data collection method via a well-designed questionnaire that is effectively applicable to future surveys that are scaled up to collect data at a nationwide level.

A Study of the Wellbeing of Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Sibling Efficacy, Positive and Negative Affect, and Coping Strategies

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) include pervasive developmental disorders characterised by communication deficits, difficulty with social understanding, and repetitive behaviors. Few studies have compared the efficacy, affect, and coping strategies of siblings of typically developing children with siblings of children with ASD. Typically developing siblings are understood to be at an increased risk of externalising and internalising problems. The current study examined whether siblings of children with ASD differed in levels of efficacy, affect, and coping from siblings of typically developing children. Participants (156) included an Australia-wide sample involving 82 siblings of children with ASD, and 74 siblings of typically developing individuals. Participants completed The Self-Efficacy Scale for Children (assessing social, emotional, and academic efficacy), the Positive and Negative Affect Scales, the Brief COPE Scale, and other scales as part of the larger study. Results showed that ASD siblings reported lower scores on emotional efficacy, social efficacy, and positive affect, and higher negative affect, than did the comparison group siblings. However, no significant differences were found in coping strategies or academic efficacy between the ASD siblings and the typically developing siblings. Consistent with earlier research findings, there are perceived negative effects or risks from being a sibling of an individual with ASD, suggesting support interventions may assist the development of emotional and social efficacy and increased positive affect for these individuals.

Changing Hearts and Minds: The Importance of Formal Education in Reducing Stigma Associated with Mental Health Conditions.

Background: The expansion of user-friendly mental health services for young people is an important goal of mental health reform in Australia; however, stigma and discrimination associated with mental health conditions constitute major deterrents to help-seeking among young people. Objective: This paper reports on a qualitative study conducted in South East Queensland, which explored perceptions concerning employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis. Method: Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 137 participants comprising community members, employers, clients, carers, employment consultants and health professionals. Results: Stigma and discrimination were identified as major employment barriers for people living with psychosis. The formal education system was seen as a key means to overcome stigma and discrimination through improved awareness and understanding of mental health problems. Conclusion: This paper highlights participants’ views on how the formal education system might be adapted to increase public awareness and understanding of psychosis and reduce community stigma and discrimination.

Sociocultural pressure as a mediator of eating disorder symptoms in a non-clinical Australian sample

Abstract Eating disorders continue to be a major cause of concern worldwide. The continuum model of eating disorders proposes (1) that there are sub-clinical behaviours or symptoms that differ only by being less frequent and/or severe when compared to those with clinically diagnosed eating disorders and (2) that these behaviours should be studied, including in non-clinical populations. In the present study, perceived social pressure to aspire to a thin ideal was tested as a potential mediator in the relationships between selected sociocultural factors and eating disorder symptomology in a non-clinical sample (comprised of 265 participants aged 18–40 years). Participants completed a series of self-report measures assessing levels of body dissatisfaction and several sociocultural factors (e.g. internalisation of a thin ideal-general and athlete, effects of media pressure and Media Information Influence). The role was also examined of sociocultural pressure as a mediator in the relationships between internalisation (using the media as a source of information regarding physical appearance) and eating disorder symptoms. The results showed that perceived sociocultural pressure was a significant mediator in the relationship between internalisation of the thin ideal (general and athletic) and eating disorder symptoms, and also between Media Information Influence and eating disorder symptoms. We concluded that sociocultural factors increase the risk of eating disorder symptoms occurring before diagnosis of an eating disorder is made, for those who are susceptible to societal pressures.

Beliefs about employment of people living with psychosis

Abstract Objective This qualitative study aimed to construct knowledge about myths that may exist in relation to the employability of people living with psychosis. This article presents information about work‐related beliefs expressed by participants in a qualitative study which investigated the employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis. Identified beliefs were critically examined against objective evidence obtained from existing literature as well as the lived experience of participants. Method Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with 137 participants drawn from six key stakeholder groups including people with lived experience of psychosis, employers, care‐givers, employment service providers, health professionals, and community members. Thematic analysis was used to identify perceived employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis. The data were explored and analysed with the assistance of NVivo 10. Results The study found that negative beliefs about the employability of people living with psychosis constituted a significant barrier to their employment. In‐depth analysis of the data identified what can be considered ten potential myths regarding the employability of people living with psychosis. The main myths are that employment is too stressful for people living with psychosis and that people living with these conditions are not interested or are incapable of working effectively in competitive employment. Conclusions The study suggests that public and professional beliefs may constitute significant barriers to the employment of people living with psychosis and may need to be challenged if people living with psychosis are to receive appropriate support to achieve their vocational goals.

Understanding the post-colonial India’s culture: A juxtaposition of modern and traditional values

This book analyses key theoretical influences on Indian culture in a business context. It shows the interactions between indigenous culture and workplace ethics which is increasingly being populated by multinational corporations. It discusses how the Indian workplace has evolved over time as well as retained some managerial practices dating back to the classical traditions of ancient India. It further demonstrates the changes brought about by globalisation, especially through information technology and business process outsourcing industries.

Attachment styles and maladaptive eating practices: perfectionism as a mediator

The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between attachment styles and maladaptive eating practices, and to determine whether the relationship was mediated by perfectionism. Attachment style, perfectionism and body image dissatisfaction have been examined separately in previous studies but the relationship with maladaptive eating practices has not been explored in community samples. The current study investigated whether perfectionistic tendencies mediated the relationship between attachment style and maladaptive eating practices. A total of 131 community individuals completed the following scales: Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R), Frosts Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), and the Maladaptive Eating Practices Questionnaire (MEPQ). Consistent with the research hypotheses, hierarchical regression established that maladaptive perfectionism mediated the relationship between attachment avoidance and maladaptive eating practices. In addition, maladaptive perfectionism mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and maladaptive eating practices. Adaptive perfectionism also mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and maladaptive eating practices but not between attachment avoidance and maladaptive eating practices. These findings suggest that perfectionistic tendencies whether ‘maladaptive’ or ‘adaptive’ act as an explanatory mechanism linking attachment style to maladaptive eating practices. Recommendations for professional practice and future research are suggested.