ORCID Profile
0000-0003-1800-5216
Current Organisations
University of Adelaide
,
University of Sydney
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Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.116.012532
Abstract: The genetic basis of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) is still unknown. This study examines the heritability of WMH in both sexes and in different brain regions, and the influence of age. Participants from the Older Australian Twins Study were recruited (n=320 92 monozygotic and 68 dizygotic pairs) who volunteered for magnetic resonance imaging scans and medical assessments. Heritability, that is, the ratio of the additive genetic variance to the total phenotypic variance, was estimated using the twin design. Heritability was high for total WMH volume (0.76), and for periventricular WMH (0.64) and deep WMH (0.77), and varied from 0.18 for the cerebellum to 0.76 for the occipital lobe. The genetic correlation between deep and periventricular WMH regions was 0.85, with one additive genetics factor accounting for most of the shared variance. Heritability was consistently higher in women in the cerebral regions. Heritability in deep but not periventricular WMH declined with age, in particular after the age of 75. WMH have a strong genetic influence but this is not uniform through the brain, being higher for deep than periventricular WMH and in the cerebral regions. The genetic influence is higher in women, and there is an age-related decline, most markedly for deep WMH. The data suggest some heterogeneity in the pathogenesis of WMH for different brain regions and for men and women.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 24-06-2021
Abstract: What is the relationship between specific quality of life domains and depression, anxiety and stress in the endometriosis population? Psychosocial domains of quality of life, such as a perception of social support and self-image, are more strongly associated with depression, anxiety and stress than pain and medical factors. Prior research indicates a high prevalence of anxiety and depression in in iduals with endometriosis. Pain is thought to be critical in the development of psychological distress, however prior research has investigated this association without consideration of psychosocial quality of life domains such as social functioning, perceived social support and self-image. This study is a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data collected in a longitudinal study exploring psychological distress in endometriosis (n = 584). In iduals living with endometriosis participated in this study and were recruited via online platforms of community organizations and support groups. Demographic and medical information concerning endometriosis treatment and diagnosis was self-reported. Psychological distress and quality of life was measured using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Endometriosis Health Profile-30 (EHP-30) and the Short Form Survey (SF-36v2). A series of linear regression analyses explored the relationship between specific quality of life domains and the primary outcomes of depression, anxiety and stress. Approximately half of the participants in this s le reported moderate to severe anxiety, depression and stress. Quality of life domains, particularly perceived social support, social functioning and self-image, were more strongly associated with psychological distress than medical or demographic factors. Pain was associated with anxiety, but not depression or stress. A greater number of endometriosis symptoms was only associated with depression. These data are cross-sectional and, therefore, causality cannot be inferred from this analysis. Information about endometriosis diagnosis and treatment was self-reported, and not verified against medical records. This study indicates that psychosocial factors may be more salient factors underlying depression, anxiety and stress in the endometriosis population than pain and medical factors. There is a need for interventions that target psychological distress in this population with a focus on the broader impact of endometriosis beyond pain and physical symptomatology. This research was supported by the Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship awarded to C.S.M. by Macquarie University. The remaining authors have nothing to declare. ACTRN12619001508167.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 10-02-2023
DOI: 10.1155/2023/4674120
Abstract: People with dementia and their care partners report a lack of support, treatment, and information, fragmented services, and a lack of inclusion in decisions about their care. Care planning may address these issues however, there is scarce literature on the process or benefits of care planning for people with dementia. This review describes the literature on care planning for community-dwelling people with dementia and their care partners. A systematic scoping methodology was followed to identify the research questions, identify relevant documents, select relevant documents, chart the data, and collate, summarise, and report the results. 31 full-text documents published between 2010 and May 2020 were identified and reviewed. Seven were guidelines, seven were expert opinion pieces, 11 were intervention studies, and six were descriptive studies. The topics and process of care planning varied depending on the service context (e.g., memory clinic, home care, and primary care). Care planning was presented as a component of case management in 15 papers. Six of the 11 intervention studies reported positive outcomes, one showed no improvement, and one did not evaluate outcomes for people with dementia or their care partners. Of the six with positive outcomes, four evaluated care planning in the context of care management. There is limited evidence that care planning alone improves outcomes for people with dementia and their care partners. It is unclear whether it may have benefits when combined with care management.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2023
DOI: 10.1002/ALZ.067479
Abstract: People living with dementia increasingly prefer to live in their own home as their care needs progress. Home care workers (HCWs) are essential for supporting independent living, and need training and support on how to deliver evidence‐based and best‐practice dementia care. The home care workforce is erse, and in Australia, the number of workers who identify as culturally and linguistically erse (CALD) in 2020 represented 21% of the total direct‐care workforce. The Promoting Independence Through quality Care at Home (PITCH) project aims to improve outcomes for people living with dementia and their paid and family carers by co‐designing and testing an evidence‐based specialist training program for dementia care. A pragmatic stepped‐wedge cluster RCT is being conducted to evaluate the program. To date, 227 HCWs from seven home care providers across Australia have completed baseline measures. HCWs completed the Strain in Dementia Care Scale (SDCS), Sense of Competence In Dementia Care – Staff (SCIDS), Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS) and Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS). Associations between these measures was assessed using Pearson correlations. HCWs were grouped into CALD/non‐CALD groups based on self‐reported cultural background. ANOVAs examined group differences by CALD status. For the whole s le, SCIDS was correlated with DAS (r = 0.599, p .005) and DKAS (r = 0.257, p .005). DAS and DKAS were moderately correlated (r = 0.334, p .005). Nearly 30% of HCWs in our s le identified as CALD. The CALD group showed lower DAS, DKAS and SCIDS compared to the non‐CALD group (p’s .001). No differences were observed on SDCS (p = 0.58). HCWs who were more knowledgeable about dementia had more positive attitudes toward dementia and a higher sense of competence in dementia care. HCWs who did not identify as CALD showed greater dementia knowledge, more positive dementia attitudes, and higher sense of competence in dementia care. Findings suggest that better dementia literacy supports more positive attitudes to dementia and sense of competence, and highlights that more targeted and specialized support may be beneficial for staff from CALD backgrounds (who comprise a high proportion of the Australian aged care workforce). Findings have implications for clinicians, researchers, policy‐makers, educators, and providers of dementia services.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2023
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 09-12-2022
DOI: 10.2196/40837
Abstract: Endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 people assigned female at birth, is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease with a high symptom burden and adverse socioemotional impacts. There is a need for an accessible, cost-effective, and low-burden intervention to support in iduals in managing their endometriosis condition. This study aimed to co-design and evaluate the acceptability, readability, and quality of a bank of supportive SMS text messages (EndoSMS) for in iduals with endometriosis. In phase 1 of this mixed method design, 17 consumer representatives (in iduals with endometriosis) participated across three 3-hour web-based (Zoom, Zoom Video Communications, Inc) focus groups. The transcripts were encoded and analyzed thematically. In phase 2, consumer representatives (n=14) and health care professionals (n=9) quantitatively rated the acceptability, readability, and appropriateness of the developed text messages in a web-based survey. All the participants initially completed a background survey assessing sociodemographic and medical factors. Consumer representatives demonstrated erse sociodemographic characteristics (Mage=33.29), varying in location (metropolitan vs rural or regional), employment, and relationship and educational statuses. Participants reached a consensus regarding the delivery of 4 SMS text messages per week, delivered randomly throughout the week and in one direction (ie, no reply), with customization for the time of day and use of personal names. Seven main areas of unmet need for which participants required assistance were identified, which subsequently became the topic areas for the developed SMS text messages: emotional health, social support, looking after and caring for your body, patient empowerment, interpersonal issues, general endometriosis information, and physical health. Through a web-based survey, 371 co-designed SMS text messages were highly rated by consumers and health care professionals as clear, useful, and appropriate for in iduals with endometriosis. Readability indices (Flesch-Kincaid scale) indicated that the SMS text messages were accessible to in iduals with a minimum of 7th grade high school education. On the basis of the needs and preferences of a erse consumer representative group, we co-designed EndoSMS, a supportive SMS text message program for in iduals with endometriosis. The initial evaluation of the SMS text messages by consumer representatives and health professionals suggested the high acceptability and suitability of the developed SMS text messages. Future studies should further evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of EndoSMS in a broader population of in iduals with endometriosis.
No related grants have been discovered for Tanya Jane Duckworth.