ORCID Profile
0000-0002-1201-2485
Current Organisation
University of Melbourne
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In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Demography | Health Policy | Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety | Applied Sociology, Program Evaluation and Social Impact Assessment | Population Trends and Policies | Family and Household Studies | Public Policy
Social Structure and Health | Carer Health | Demography | Women's Health |
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-12-2006
Abstract: To estimate variation between small areas in adult body mass index (BMI), and assess the importance of area level socioeconomic disadvantage in predicting BMI. We identified all census collector districts (CCDs) in the 20 innermost Local Government Areas in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, and ranked them by the percentage of low income households (< dollar 400/week). In all, 50 CCDs were randomly selected from the least, middle and most disadvantaged septiles of the ranked list and 4913 residents (61.4% participation rate) completed one of two surveys. Multilevel linear regression was used to estimate area level variance in BMI and the importance of area level socioeconomic disadvantage in predicting BMI. There were significant variations in BMI between CCDs for women, even after adjustment for in idual and area SES (P = 0.012) significant area variation was not found for men. Living in the most versus least disadvantaged areas was associated with an average difference in BMI of 1.08 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.48-1.68 kg/m2) for women, and of 0.93 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.32-1.55 kg/m2) for men. Living in the mid versus least disadvantaged areas were associated with an average difference in BMI of 0.67 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.09-1.26 kg/m2) for women, and 0.43 kg/m2 for men (95% CI: -0.16-1.01). These findings suggest that area disadvantage is an important predictor of adult BMI, and support the need to focus on improving local environments to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in overweight and obesity.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 26-09-2023
DOI: 10.1093/SF/SOAD127
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 11-2005
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 14-07-2020
DOI: 10.1093/AJE/KWAA138
Abstract: In Australia, as in many industrialized countries, the past 50 years have been marked by increasing female labor-force participation. It is popularly speculated that this might impose a mental-health burden on women and their children. This analysis aimed to examine the associations between household labor-force participation (household employment configuration) and the mental health of parents and children. Seven waves of data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were used, comprising 2004–2016, with children aged 4–17 years). Mental health outcome measures were the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (children/adolescents) and 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (parents). A 5-category measure of household employment configuration was derived from parental reports: both parents full-time, male-breadwinner, female-breadwinner, shared-part-time employment (both part-time) and father full-time/mother part-time (1.5-earner). Fixed-effects regression models were used to compare within-person effects, controlling for time-varying confounders. For men, the male-breadwinner configuration was associated with poorer mental health compared with the 1.5-earner configuration (β = 0.21, 95% confidence interval: 0.05, 0.36). No evidence of association was observed for either women or children. This counters prevailing social attitudes, suggesting that neither children nor women are adversely affected by household employment configuration, nor are they disadvantaged by the extent of this labor-force participation. Men’s mental health appears to be poorer when they are the sole household breadwinner.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-02-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2021
DOI: 10.1016/J.SSRESEARCH.2021.102597
Abstract: Traditional gender beliefs play an important role in (re-)producing gender inequalities, and trends towards gender egalitarianism have stalled. As such, identifying factors that contribute to in iduals upholding traditional versus egalitarian gender attitudes is an important scholarly endeavour. While previous studies have identified critical predictors-such as religion, education and parenthood-intergenerational influences have received comparatively little empirical attention. Drawing upon gender-socialization theory, we derive hypotheses about how parental attitudes towards gender are transmitted to their children, considering differences between mothers' and fathers' influences, parental (dis)agreement in attitudes, and moderation by child's gender. We test these hypotheses using high-quality data from a national s le of Australian 14/15-year-old adolescents (Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, n = 1806). We find substantial intergenerational associations in gender ideology. Paternal and maternal attitudes exert a similar degree of influence on their children's attitudes, and have complementary rather than cumulative effects. While fathers' attitudes influence sons' and daughters' attitudes equally, mothers' attitudes influence daughters' attitudes more than sons'.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2020
DOI: 10.1186/S12966-020-00947-2
Abstract: Self-selection into residential neighbourhoods is a widely acknowledged, but under-studied problem in research investigating neighbourhood influences on physical activity and diet. Failure to handle neighbourhood self-selection can lead to biased estimates of the association between the neighbourhood environment and behaviour. This means that effects could be over- or under-estimated, both of which have implications for public health policies related to neighbourhood (re)design. Therefore, it is important that methods to deal with neighbourhood self-selection are identified and reviewed. The aim of this review was to assess how neighbourhood self-selection is conceived and accounted for in the literature. Articles from a systematic search undertaken in 2017 were included if they examined associations between neighbourhood environment exposures and adult physical activity or dietary behaviour. Exposures could include any objective measurement of the built (e.g., supermarkets), natural (e.g., parks) or social (e.g., crime) environment. Articles had to explicitly state that a given method was used to account for neighbourhood self-selection. The systematic review was registered with the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (number CRD42018083593) and was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Of 31 eligible articles, almost all considered physical activity (30/31) few examined diet (2/31). Methods used to address neighbourhood self-selection varied. Most studies (23/31) accounted for items relating to participants’ neighbourhood preferences or reasons for moving to the neighbourhood using multi-variable adjustment in regression models (20/23) or propensity scores (3/23). Of 11 longitudinal studies, three controlled for neighbourhood self-selection as an unmeasured confounder using fixed effects regression. Most studies accounted for neighbourhood self-selection by adjusting for measured attributes of neighbourhood preference. However, commonly the impact of adjustment could not be assessed. Future studies using adjustment should provide estimates of associations with and without adjustment for self-selection consider temporality in the measurement of self-selection variables relative to the timing of the environmental exposure and outcome behaviours and consider the theoretical plausibility of presumed pathways in cross-sectional research where causal direction is impossible to establish.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 29-09-2017
Abstract: Underemployment (defined as when a person in paid employment works for fewer hours than their desired full working capacity) is increasingly recognised as a component of employment precarity. This paper sought to investigate the effects of underemployment on the mental health of people with disabilities. Using 14 waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, we used fixed-effects models to assess whether the presence of a disability modified the association between underemployment and mental health. Both disability and underemployment were assessed as time-varying factors. Measures of effect measure modification were presented on the additive scale. The experience of underemployment was associated with a significantly greater decline in mental health when a person reported a disability (mean difference -1.38, 95% CI -2.20 to -0.57) compared with when they did not report a disability (mean difference -0.49, 95% CI -0.84 to -0.14). The combined effect of being underemployed and having a disability was nearly one point greater than the summed independent risks of having a disability and being underemployed (-0.89, 95% CI -1.75 to -0.03). People with disabilities are more likely to experience underemployment and more likely to have their mental health adversely affected by it. There is a need for more research and policy attention on how to ameliorate the effects of underemployment on the mental health of persons with disabilities.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2020
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 06-02-2019
Abstract: Suicide is a leading cause of death among young men. Help-seeking is known to be poor among this group, and little is known about what interventions are most successful in improving suicide prevention literacy among young men. This research aims to examine: (1) age differences in beliefs related to suicide prevention literacy and attitudes to the workplace in addressing mental health among male construction workers (2) age differences in response to a workplace suicide prevention program. Pre- and post-training survey data of 19,917 male respondents were obtained from a workplace training program database. Linear regression models and predictive margins were computed. Mean differences in baseline beliefs, and belief change were obtained for age groups, and by occupation. Young men demonstrated poorer baseline suicide prevention literacy but were more likely to consider that mental health is a workplace health and safety issue. There was also evidence that young men employed in manual occupations had poorer suicide prevention literacy than older men, and young men employed in professional/managerial roles. The youngest respondents demonstrated the greatest intervention-associated change (higher scores indicating more favourable belief change) to People considering suicide often send out warning signs (predicted mean belief change 0.47, 95% CI 0.43, 0.50 for those aged 15–24 years compared to 0.38, 95% CI 0.36, 0.41 for men aged 45 years and over), and to The construction industry must do something to reduce suicide rates (predicted mean belief change 0.17, 95% CI 0.15, 0.20 for those aged 15–24 years compared to 0.12, 95% CI 0.10, 0.14 among men aged 45 years and over). Results indicate that while suicide prevention literacy may be lower among young men, this group show amenability to changing beliefs. There were some indications that young men have a greater propensity to regard the workplace as having a role in reducing suicide rates and addressing mental health, highlighting opportunity for workplace interventions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-04-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2022
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 17-02-2023
Abstract: Gender and sexually erse populations remain understudied and under-represented in research. This is attributable not only to significant and ongoing data collection limitations, where large population-based studies fail to ask adequate questions around gender and sexuality, but also due to continuously evolving terminology in this space. This glossary takes a preliminary step in rectifying these issues by defining and clarifying the application and understanding of key terms related to gender, gender identity, expression and sexuality. In doing so, this glossary provides a point of reference for understanding key differences in gender and sexually erse terminology to (1) help guide researchers and practitioners in the use and understanding of terms and (2) facilitate the utility of more respectful, inclusive and consistent language application across the public health arena.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.DHJO.2021.101170
Abstract: Little is known about the exposure of youth with disability to cyber victimisation. /Hypothesis: To estimate the prevalence of peer cyber and non-cyber victimisation in a nationally representative s le of 14-year-old adolescents with and without disability and to determine whether gender moderates the relationship between disability and exposure to victimisation. Secondary analysis of data collected in Wave 6 of the UK's Millennium Cohort Survey on 11,726 14-year-old adolescents living in the UK. Adolescents with disability had higher prevalence of cyber and non-cyber victimisation than those with no disability. For cyber victimisation there was a statistically significant interaction between gender and disability, with evidence of increased cyber victimisation for adolescents with disability compared to those with no disability among girls, but not boys. For non-cyber victimisation there was no evidence of an interaction between gender and disability. The prevalence of both cyber and non-cyber victimisation was higher among adolescents with disability than those with no disability. The association between disability and risk of exposure to peer cyber victimisation appears to be moderated by gender.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 09-2019
Abstract: This study examined how cumulative exposure to racial discrimination and bullying victimization influences the health of Australian adolescents (n = 2802) aged 10 to 11 years (19.3% visible ethnic minorities [nonwhite, non-Indigenous] 2.6% Indigenous) using data from three waves (2010–2014) of the nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Cumulative exposure to racial discrimination and bullying victimization had incremental negative effects on socioemotional difficulties. Higher accumulated exposure to both stressors across time was associated with increased body mass index z-scores and risk of overweight/obesity. Studies that examine exposure to single risk factors such as bullying victimization or racial discrimination at one time point only are likely to miss key determinants of health for adolescents from stigmatized racial-ethnic backgrounds and underestimate their stressor burden.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 16-01-2018
Abstract: Men employed in male-dominated occupations are at elevated risk of work-related fatalities, injuries, and suicide. Prior research has focused on associations between psychosocial and physical exposures at work and health outcomes. However, masculine norms may also contribute to mental health. We used data from the baseline survey of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health to examine whether: (a) men in male-dominated jobs report greater adherence to masculine norms (b) being in a male-dominated occupation is associated with poorer mental health and (c) being in a male-dominated occupation modifies the association between masculine norms and mental health. Masculine norms were measured using the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI-22). Mental health was assessed using the SF-12. Results of regression analysis (adjusted for covariates) suggest a linear relationship between the extent to which an occupation is male-dominated and endorsement of values on the CMNI-22. Many CMNI-22 subscales were related to poorer mental health. However, the need for self-reliance was identified as the strongest predictor of poorer mental health. The mental health scale did not appear to be patterned by occupational gender composition and we did not find an interaction between the gender ratio of an occupation and the CNMI-22 scale. These findings highlight the need to address harmful aspects of masculinity as a potential cause of mental health problems. More longitudinal research is needed on the social domains in which gender and health are experienced, such as in the workplace.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2018
Abstract: This research sought to investigate the influence of being a in male-dominated occupation on suicide. A population-level retrospective mortality study was conducted over the period 2001 to 2015. Data from the Australian Census and the National Coronial Information System were combined. Negative binomial regression was used to assess the relationship between occupational gender ratio and suicide rates, controlling for age, socioeconomic status and year of death. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis accounted for unmeasured confounding due to common mental disorders. Males in male-dominated occupations had a rate ratio (RR) of 7.50 (95%CI 6.07 to 9.25) compared to males in female-dominated occupations. Females in male-dominated occupations had a RR of 0.13 (95%CI 0.07 to 0.26) compared to females in female-dominated occupations. Results for males were maintained after adjusting for common mental disorders. There was evidence of interaction on both additive and multiplicative scales. The gendered context of an occupation influences suicide, with varying risks for women and men. More research is needed to understand the mechanisms of this relationship. Implications for public health: These results suggest the need for targeted suicide prevention activities in male-dominated occupational groups.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-11-2021
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 11-02-2021
DOI: 10.1136/OEMED-2020-106757
Abstract: Employees working in the welfare and healthcare industry have poorer mental health than other occupational groups however, there has been little examination of suicide among this group. In this study, we examined suicide rates among welfare support workers and compared them to other occupations in Australia. We used data from the National Coroners Information System to obtain suicide deaths between the years 2001 and 2016. Using the Australian standard population from 2001 and Census data from 2006, 2011 and 2016, we calculated age-standardised suicide rates and rate ratios to compare suicide rates across different occupational groups. Overall, the age-standardised suicide rate of welfare support workers was 8.6 per 100 000 people. The gender-stratified results show that male welfare support workers have a high suicide rate (23.8 per 100 000 people) which is similar to male social workers and nurses (25.4 per 100 000). After adjusting for age and year of death, both males (rate ratio 1.48, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.78) and female welfare support workers (rate ratio 1.49, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.86) have higher suicide rate ratios compared with the reference group (excluding occupations from the comparison groups). The age-standardised suicide rates of male welfare support workers are comparable to occupations which have been identified as high-risk occupations for suicide. Both female and male welfare support workers are at elevated risk of suicide compared with other occupations. Further research is required to understand the drivers of the elevated risk in this group.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 28-08-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.JSXM.2019.07.021
Abstract: Studies on sexual function in men with disabilities have mainly relied on clinical s les population-based evidence on this topic is limited. The aim of this study was to compare aspects of sexual function between disabled and nondisabled men using a representative s le. We used data from Ten to Men, a national cohort study of Australian men aged 18−55 years. We first compared the prevalence of 15 sexual function-related difficulties in disabled vs non-disabled men. Next, we used Poisson regression to examine associations between disability and sexual function. The main analytic s le had 8,496 men. Weights and adjustments appropriate to the s ling methodology were applied. Models adjusted for potential confounders. Results were reported as prevalence ratios (PRs). P values of & .05 were considered statistically significant. Outcomes were 15 in idual items from the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles-Sexual Function, a validated measure of sexual function with items in 3 domains: physio-psychological aspect relational aspect and global self-rating (the 16th item on help-seeking was excluded). These were coded as binary variables denoting past-year sexual problems. Disabled men had higher prevalence of all outcomes than nondisabled men. 25.6% of men with disabilities and 15.1% of nondisabled men experienced at least 2 of 15 difficulties. The most prevalent problems were “orgasmed too early” (43.8% of disabled men, 37.1% of nondisabled men), imbalance of sexual desire between partners (47.6% of disabled men, 39.2% of nondisabled men), and overall sexual dissatisfaction (39.4% of disabled men, 26.7% of nondisabled men). All adjusted PRs were & 1.00 for disability associations were statistically significant except “partner experienced sexual difficulties” (PR = 1.23 95% CI = 0.99−1.53 P = .058) and “orgasmed too early” (PR = 1.16 95% CI = 1.00−1.35 P = .050). “Presence of discomfort ain” had the largest adjusted PR for disability (PR = 2.77 95% CI = 1.89−4.06 P & .001). This population-based analysis on the relationship between disability and sexual function contextualizes evidence from clinical studies. Findings suggest that disparities between men with and without disability exist but are not uniform across different aspects of sexual function. Two major strengths of this study are that the s le included a nondisabled reference group and results are generalizable to Australian men. A key limitation is that disability and sexual function measures are self-reported. This study provides a broad foundation of population-based evidence about sexual function in men with disabilities, relative to men without, showing positive associations between disability and 13 of 15 sexual difficulties.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 21-05-2023
DOI: 10.1177/00048674231174809
Abstract: Migrants experience various stressors at different stages of migration based on their country of origin, ethnic backgrounds, migration context and host country. Employment is one important post-settlement factor associated with mental health among migrant groups. The study investigates whether the country of origin modifies the association between employment and mental health for Australian migrants. Nineteen waves of data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey were used. Using fixed-effects regression, we examined the effects of within-person changes in employment status on mental health outcomes as measured by the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5), controlling for time-varying confounders and stratified by sex and examined effect modification by country of origin. The relationship between unemployment and mental health was modified by country of origin for men but not women. Unemployed men from Asian (β = −4.85, p 0.001), African and Middle Eastern (β = −3.61, p 0.05) countries had lower mental health scores compared to employed Australian-born men. For men, there was evidence of effect modification of the association between employment and mental health by country of origin, with the combined effect of being unemployed and being a migrant from an Asian country was almost three points lower than the summed independent risks of these factors (β = −2.72 p = 0.01). Also, for men, the combined mental health effect of not being in the labour force and coming from a non-English-speaking European country was greater than the summed effects of these factors (β = −2.33 p 0.001). Tailored employment-support programmes may be beneficial for migrants from ethnic minorities, particularly those from Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries in Australia. Further research is needed to understand why the mental health of migrant men from these countries is particularly vulnerable to unemployment.
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 22-02-2022
Abstract: Gender norms are essential barometers of gender equality inequitable gender norms are indicative of core inequalities in society that undermine the health of many groups. Fundamentally embedded in the gender system, prescriptive and restrictive gender norms have been shown to have deleterious effects on the health of women, men, girls and boys, as well as gender and sexual minorities. Gender norms are mutable, and there is potential to target and transform harmful and inequitable gender norms to drive gender equality. Gender-transformative approaches are needed, but a necessary first step is to identify and benchmark restrictive and inequitable gender norms, monitor change and progress, and highlight areas where interventions can be targeted for greatest effect. Efforts to do this are currently stymied by a lack of fit-for-purpose data. Routinely collected, population representative data on gender norms is urgently needed. This is vital to supporting and progressing gender equality and will contribute substantially to lifting population health.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-05-2020
DOI: 10.1186/S12888-020-2475-Y
Abstract: Adolescent boys and young men are at particular risk of suicide. Suicidal ideation is an important risk factor for suicide, but is poorly understood among adolescent males. Some masculine behaviors have been associated with deleterious effects on health, yet there has been little quantitative examination of associations between masculinity and suicide or suicidal ideation, particularly among boys/young men. This study aimed to examine associations between conformity to masculine norms and suicidal ideation in a s le of adolescents. A prospective cohort design, this study drew on a s le of 829 Australian boys/young men from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health. Boys were 15–18 years at baseline, and 17–20 years at follow-up. Masculine norms (Wave 1), were measured using the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI-22). Suicidal ideation (Wave 2) was a single-item from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Logistic regression analysis was conducted, adjusting for available confounders including parental education, Indigenous Australian identity and area disadvantage. In adjusted models, greater conformity to violent norms ( OR = 1.23, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.03–1.47) and self-reliance norms ( OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.15–1.70) was associated with higher odds of reporting suicidal ideation. Greater conformity to norms regarding heterosexuality was associated with reduced odds of reporting suicidal ideation ( OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68–0.91). These results suggest that conforming to some masculine norms may be deleterious to the mental health of young males, placing them at greater risk of suicidal ideation. The results highlight the importance of presenting young males with alternative and multiple ways of being a male. Facilitating a relaxation of norms regarding self-reliance, and encouraging help-seeking, is vital. Furthermore, dismantling norms that rigidly enforce masculine norms, particularly in relation to heteronormativity, is likely to benefit the broad population of males, not only those who do not conform to heterosexual and other masculine norms.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.PUHE.2018.09.004
Abstract: Men are less likely to seek treatment for mental health problems than women however, the structural employment-related factors influencing this relationship are unknown. This is a prospective cohort study. Using the Australian Ten to Men cohort (N = 6447), we examined the relationship between being in a male-dominated occupation and treatment seeking from a mental health professional compared to being in a gender-equal occupation. Models were fit using logistic regression. There was some evidence of a stepwise gradient between male-dominated occupations and treatment seeking for mental health problems. However, results were only significant for the most male-dominated occupations after adjustment (odds ratio [OR] 0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52 to 0.94, P = 0.017). We also found evidence that in iduals who more strongly adhered to masculine norms had a lower likelihood of treatment seeking (OR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.95 to 0.99, P = 0.004). This supports the idea that occupational-related factors influence male treatment seeking for mental health problems.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 03-08-2018
DOI: 10.1093/IJE/DYY154
Abstract: Disability among adolescents is associated with both poorer mental health (MH) and higher levels of bullying-victimization. Bullying, therefore, conceivably mediates the association between disability and MH. Quantifying this pathway is challenging as the exposure (disability), mediator (bullying) and outcome (MH) are subjective, and subject to dependent measurement error if the same respondent reports on two or more variables. Utilizing the counterfactual and potential outcomes approaches to causal mediation, we decomposed the total effect of disability on MH into natural indirect effects (through bullying) and natural direct effects (not through bullying) using a s le of 3409 adolescents. As the study included data from multiple informants (teacher, parent, adolescent) on the outcome (MH, as measured on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) and two informants (adolescent, parent) on the mediator (bullying), we assessed the influence of dependent measurement error. For preferred analysis (using parent-reported bullying and adolescent-reported MH), the total effect was a 2.18 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-3.40] lower MH score for adolescents with a disability, compared with those with no disability (strength of association equivalent to 37% of the standard deviation for MH). Bullying explained 46% of the total effect. Use of adolescent-reported bullying with adolescent-reported MH produced similar results (37% mediation, 95% CI: 12-74%). Disability exerts a detrimental effect on adolescent MH, and a large proportion of this appears to operate through bullying. This finding does not appear to be spurious due to dependent measurement error.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-01-2018
DOI: 10.1111/CCH.12545
Abstract: This study sought to compare the prevalence of bullying victimization between adolescents with and without a disability and between adolescents with and without borderline intellectual functioning or intellectual disability (BIF/ID). We also sought to assess whether the relationships between either disability or BIF/ID and bullying victimization vary by gender and parental education. The s le included 3,956 12- to 13-year-old adolescents who participated in Wave 5 of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Three indicators of bullying were used: physical bullying victimization, social bullying victimization, and "any bullying victimization." We used Poisson regression to obtain the prevalence risk ratios (PRR) of bullying by disability status adjusting for potential confounders. In adjusted models, we found evidence that social bullying victimization was more prevalent among adolescents with a disability than those without a disability (PRR 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.42) and between adolescents with BIF/ID than those without (PRR 1.24, 95% CI 1.07-1.44). Adolescents with BIF/ID were also more likely to experience "any bullying victimization"(PRR 1.10, 95% CI 1.00-1.22). Having a disability and living in a family with low parental education were associated with an elevated risk of social bullying victimization BIF/ID. Adolescents with disabilities and BIF/ID are at elevated risk of social bullying victimization. School-based antibullying initiatives should concentrate on enhancing the inclusion of adolescents with disabilities, with an emphasis on adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Publisher: Hogrefe Publishing Group
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/A000610
Abstract: Abstract. Background: Suicide rates are higher among unemployed men as well as those employed in male-dominated occupations such as construction. There has been less research on whether these patterns are similar for suicide ideation and attempt. Aims: In a cohort of 13,892 Australian males, this study examined the relationship between employment status and occupational gender ratio on reported thoughts of suicide and suicide attempts. Method: Men reporting suicide ideation or attempts at Wave 1 were removed from the s le. Logistic regression was used to examine Wave 1 employment status and occupational gender ratio and Wave 2 reported suicide ideation and attempts, controlling for confounders (measured in Wave 1). We conducted a sensitivity analysis controlling for mental health status. Results: Those who were unemployed or not in the labor force had elevated rates of suicide ideation (unemployed OR = 1.91, 95% CI [1.30, 2.82], p = .001 not in the labor force OR = 1.68, 95% CI [1.09, 2.60], p = .020). Those who were not in the labor force had greater odds of attempts ( OR = 2.32, 95% CI [1.05, 5.12], p = .037). There was no association between occupational gender ratio and suicide ideation or attempt. Limitations: We only had single item measures of ideation and attempts. Conclusion: There is a need for further investigation into risk factors for suicide among males, both when they are in and out of employment.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-01-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.DHJO.2019.06.002
Abstract: Employment is a fundamental Social Determinant of Health known to have large impacts on mental health and other health outcomes. Across many countries of the world, people with disabilities are much more likely to be unemployed and looking for work than those without disabilities. The deprivation of employment opportunities is likely to have notable impacts on the health of people with disabilities. In this commentary, we outline the concept of "disabling working environments," which are defined as the range of experiences that affect the likelihood of people with disabilities in obtaining and maintaining quality employment which may then affect a disabled person's health. Disabling working environments are comprised of the following three mutually reinforcing components: 1) Differential selection into work 2) Selection into certain types of jobs and exposure to poor psychosocial working environments when in employment, and 3) Differential selection out of work (e.g., leaving employment at an earlier age than those who do not have a disability). We argue that policy and intervention design should consider the life course effects of employment on the mental health of people with disabilities.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2016
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 02-2022
DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2021-055264
Abstract: To document socioepidemiological theories used to explain the relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage and multimorbidity. Scoping review. A search strategy was developed and then applied to multiple electronic databases including Medline, Embase, PsychInfo, Web of Science, Scielo, Applied Social Sciences, ERIC, Humanities Index and Sociological Abstracts. After the selection of studies, data were extracted using a data charting plan. The last search was performed on the 28 September 2021. Extracted data included: study design, country, population subgroups, measures of socioeconomic inequality, assessment of multimorbidity and conclusion on the association between socioeconomic variables and multimorbidity. Included studies were further assessed on their use of theory, type of theories used and context of application. Finally, we conducted a meta-narrative synthesis to summarise the results. A total of 64 studies were included in the review. Of these, 33 papers included theories as explanations for the association between socioeconomic position and multimorbidity. Within this group, 16 explicitly stated those theories and five tested at least one theory. Behavioural theories (health behaviours) were the most frequently used, followed by materialist (access to health resources) and psychosocial (stress pathways) theories. Most studies used theories as post hoc explanations for their findings or for study rationale. Supportive evidence was found for the role of material, behavioural and life course theories in explaining the relationship between social inequalities and multimorbidity. Given the widely reported social inequalities in multimorbidity and its increasing public health burden, there is a critical gap in evidence on pathways from socioeconomic disadvantage to multimorbidity. Generating evidence of these pathways will guide the development of intervention and public policies to prevent multimorbidity among people living in social disadvantage. Material, behavioural and life course pathways can be targeted to reduce the negative effect of low socioeconomic position on multimorbidity.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2018
Abstract: Among working-age Australian adults with a disability, we assess the association between disability-based discrimination and both overall health and psychological distress. Using data from the 2015 Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers we estimated the proportion of working-age women and men (15-64 years) with disability who report disability-based discrimination by socio-demographic characteristics and assessed the association between disability-based discrimination and self-reported health and psychological distress. Nearly 14% of Australians with disability reported disability-based discrimination in the previous year. Disability-based discrimination was more common among people living in more disadvantaged circumstances (unemployed, low income, lower-status occupations), younger people and people born in English-speaking countries. Disability-based discrimination was associated with higher levels of psychological distress (OR: 2.53, 95%CI: 2.11, 3.02) and poorer self-reported health (OR: 1.63, 95%CI: 1.37, 1.95). Disability-based discrimination is a prevalent, important determinant of health for Australians with disability. Implications for public health: Disability-based discrimination is an under-recognised public health problem that is likely to contribute to disability-based health inequities. Public health policy, research and practice needs to concentrate efforts on developing policy and programs that reduce discrimination experienced by Australians with disability.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 23-07-2018
DOI: 10.1017/S2045796018000367
Abstract: There is a well-established gender ide among people who do and do not seek professional help from mental health professionals. Females are typically more likely to report, and seek help for, mental health problems. The current paper sought to examine the role of employment context on help-seeking for mental health issues. We hypothesised that men and women in male-dominated occupations would be less likely to seek help than those in non-male-dominated occupations. Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey were used. Help-seeking, measured in 2013, was defined as whether a person reported attending a mental health professional in the 12 months prior to the survey. The exposure, male- and non-male-dominated occupations (measured in 2012), was defined using census data based on self-reported occupation. Analyses were stratified by gender and controlled for relevant confounders (measured in 2012), including mental health and prior help-seeking. We conducted multivariate logistic and propensity score analyses to improve exchangeability of those exposed and unexposed. For males, being in a male-dominated occupation was independently associated with reduced likelihood of help-seeking (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.46–0.95) in the adjusted model, although this result fell just out of significance in the propensity score analysis. There was no independent effect of being in a male-/non-male-dominated occupation for help-seeking among women. Results suggest that male-dominated occupations may negatively influence help-seeking among males. There is a need for more research to understand this relationship and for workplace-based prevention initiatives.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.DHJO.2019.04.007
Abstract: Little is known about the prevalence of emotional difficulties and self-harm among adolescents with a disability. Our aims were: (1) to estimate the prevalence of emotional difficulties and self-harm among British adolescents with and without disability (2) to determine whether prevalence varies by gender, severity of disability and type of functional limitation associated with disability. Secondary analysis of age 14 data from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Adolescents with disability reported significantly higher rates of emotional difficulties and self-harm than their non-disabled peers. Among participants with and without disability, prevalence rates were notably higher among girls for most outcomes. The strength of the association between disability and emotional difficulties and self-harm was greater for: maternal report of adolescent emotional difficulties disabled adolescents with moderate/severe activity limitations and adolescents with psychosocial impairments. There is a clear need for providers of all mental health services to ensure that reasonable accommodations are made to services to ensure that they are responsive to the specific needs of adolescents with disabilities. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which our results can be generalised to adolescents in other settings, to specific subgroups of adolescents with disabilities, to other measures of emotional difficulties and to other informants. Future research is also needed to further explore the consistency and determinants of the intersection between gender by disability regarding adolescent mental health.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-06-2019
DOI: 10.1093/IJE/DYZ105
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2023
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 16-07-2022
DOI: 10.1177/10482911211032946
Abstract: The Australian Senate announced a Select Committee in December of 2020 “to inquire into and report on the impact of insecure or precarious employment on the economy, wages, social cohesion and workplace rights and conditions.” This New Solutions “Document” is a submission to the Australian Senate from independent Australian researchers focusing on the role of perceived job (in)security in this context, acknowledging that it only briefly addresses the role of unemployment, precarious employment, and other aspects of the broader phenomenon of insecure work. Submissions closed in March of 2021, and the Australian Senate is due to report its findings on 30 November 2021.
Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert Inc
Date: 04-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-09-2015
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 14-08-2020
DOI: 10.1136/OEMED-2019-106281
Abstract: ‘Gendered working environments’ describes the ways in which (1) differential selection into work, (2) variations in employment arrangements and working hours, (3) differences in psychosocial exposures and (4) differential selection out of work may produce varied mental health outcomes for men and women. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review to understand gender differences in mental health outcomes in relation to the components of gendered working environments. The review followed a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) search approach and focused on studies published in 2008–2018. The protocol for the review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42019124066). Across the 27 cohort studies included in the review, we found that (1) there was inconclusive evidence on the effect of occupational gender composition on the mental health of men and women, (2) women’s mental health was more likely to be affected by long working hours than men’s however, precarious employment was more likely to be negatively associated with men’s mental health, (3) exposure to traditional constructs of psychosocial job stressors negatively affected the mental health of both women and men, and (4) unemployment and retirement are associated with poorer mental health in both genders. The findings from this review indicate that gendered working environments may affect the mental health of both men and women, but the association is dependent on the specific exposure examined. There is still much to be understood about gendered working environments, and future research into work and health should be considered with a gender lens.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.JADOHEALTH.2019.01.011
Abstract: There is evidence that traditional gender-role attitudes are associated with poor mental health outcomes in adults however, few studies have examined associations among adolescents. We sought to test associations between gender-role attitudes and mental health among Australian adolescents. Data were drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, a nationally representative Australian study. Participants were 3,059 adolescents with complete data for Waves 5-6 (years 2012-2014, aged 12/13 and 14/15 years). Analyses were stratified by sex and controlled for parental education, household income, area socioeconomic position, ethnicity, religiousness, and household type. Multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to test associations. Egalitarian gender-role attitudes were associated with fewer conduct problems for adolescent males (ß -.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] -.08 to .00 p = .048) and females (ß -.06, 95% CI -.11 to -.01 p = .014), and for females, less hyperactivity (ß -.15, 95% CI -.20 to -.09 p < .001), better prosocial behavior (ß .08, 95% CI .03 to .13 p = .003), and better overall mental health (ß -.27, 95% CI -.43 to -.11, p = .001). There were no associations for peer problems or emotional problems. Associations were more apparent for females than for males, and analyses using adolescent- and teacher-reported mental health supported the main findings. Egalitarian gender-role attitudes among adolescents are associated with better outcomes on some dimensions of adolescent mental health, suggesting that establishing egalitarian gender attitudes in adolescence could help impart mental health benefits among this population group.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-05-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S10964-022-01627-Z
Abstract: Being a young carer can have significant impacts on the lives of children and adolescents. Identifying young carers is difficult, making the provision of support challenging for service providers. This s le contained 4464 Australian children/adolescents across 11 years (49% female, aged 6/7 years at baseline, and 16/17 years at final wave). Group-based trajectory modeling was applied to examine parental disability trajectories across 5 waves of data collection. Associations between estimated trajectories and unpaid/informal caring at age 16/17 years were then assessed. Three trajectory groups were identified: consistently-low (80%), low-increasing-high (10%) and moderate - high (10%) levels of parental disability. There was strong evidence that caring was elevated in the low-increasing-high group compared to the consistently-low group, and moderate evidence of elevation in the moderate - high group. By identifying adolescents with increased odds of becoming young carers, this study shows that parental disability may be an important way for service providers to identify and support young carers.
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Date: 07-2020
DOI: 10.1037/MEN0000236
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-05-2023
DOI: 10.1186/S12913-023-09456-X
Abstract: Health service utilisation changes across the life-course and may be influenced by contextual factors at different times. There is some evidence that men engage less with preventive health services, including attending doctors’ clinics, however the extent to which this varies temporally and across different age groups is unclear. This study aimed to describe age or cohort effects on engagement with GPs among employed mothers and fathers in Australia, and differences in these trends between men and women. We linked data from the ‘Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children’ with administrative health service records from Medicare. We used a small-domain estimation Age-Period-Cohort method to describe patterns in health service use among working-age male and female parents in Australia while adjusting for employment status and controlling for time-invariant factors. Our small-domain method assumes a smooth response surface of Age, Period and Cohort. Male parents have lower health service engagement than women of the same age at the same time period. Men’s pattern of health service use across time is likely explained entirely by ageing. That is, we find that patterns in health service utilisation among men are largely driven by age effects, with no evidence of periods or cohort effects in health service engagement for men between 2002 and 2016. Differences in health service utilisation between male and female parents at all age-period-cohort combinations highlight a need for more research to examine the extent to which this level of health service use among Australian men meets men’s health needs, as well as barriers and enablers of health service engagement for men. Absence of evidence for period effects suggests that there is little shift in gendered patterns of health service utilisation during the observed period.
Publisher: Environmental Health Perspectives
Date: 21-05-2018
DOI: 10.1289/EHP2080
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 10-09-2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 18-07-2023
DOI: 10.1136/OEMED-2023-108853
Abstract: Young adults with disabilities are less likely to be employed and more likely to have poor mental health than peers without disabilities. Growing evidence shows that social determinants of health may be causally related to mental health outcomes of people with disabilities. We aimed to assess if the disability to mental health association was mediated by employment status among young adults aged 20–35 years. Four consecutive years (2016–2019) of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey were used to conduct a causal mediation analysis. We decomposed the total causal effect of disability status on mental health (Short Form-36 Mental Health Inventory-5) into the natural direct effect from disability to mental health and the natural indirect effect representing the pathway through the employment mediator (being employed being unemployed or wanting to work). 3435 participants (3058 with no disabilities, 377 with disabilities) were included in the analysis. The total causal effect of disability status on mental health was an estimated mean decrease in mental health of 4.84 points (95% CI −7.44 to –2.23). The indirect effect, through employment status, was estimated to be a 0.91-point decline in mental health (95% CI −1.50 to –0.31). Results suggest disability has an effect on the mental health of young adults a proportion of this effect appears to operate through employment. The mental health of young adults with disabilities could potentially be improved with interventions to improve employment outcomes among this group, and by supporting in iduals with disabilities into suitable employment.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-12-2019
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 02-2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2018.03.020
Abstract: This longitudinal investigation assesses the extent to which the gender composition of an occupation (e.g., the extent to which an occupation is comprised of males versus females) has an impact on mental health. We used 14 annual waves of the Household Income Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) study to construct a measure representing the gender ratio of an occupation. The outcome measure was the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5). A Mundlak model was used to compare within and between person effects, after controlling for possible confounders. Results suggest that males and females employed in occupations where their own gender was dominant had better mental health than those in gender-neutral occupations (between person effects). However, within-person results suggested that a movement from a gender-neutral to a male or female dominated occupation was associated with both a decline (females) and improvement (males) in mental health. These results highlight the need for more research on gender specific selection into and out of different occupations in order to progress understandings of gender as a social determinant of health in the work context.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 05-09-2019
Abstract: Adherence to masculine norms, such as self-reliance, has been thought to predict lower health literacy. Additionally, males with poor mental health may have low health literacy. Using two waves of the Ten to Men cohort, the current study examined whether masculinity and depressive symptomology explained three aspects of health literacy among men. Three subscales of the Health Literacy Questionnaire were used as the outcomes: Ability to find good health information Ability to actively engage with healthcare providers, and Feeling understood and supported by healthcare providers. Exposures were masculine norms, measured by the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI-22), and depressive symptoms, measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). We controlled for confounders of the relationship between exposure and outcome. Ordinary least squares regression was used to assess the CMNI and depressive symptoms (measured in Wave 1) on health literacy (measured in Wave 2). Across all three health literacy scales, increased global conformity to masculine norms was associated with a decrease in health literacy. Moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were likewise associated with a decrease in health literacy on all three scales, with the effects particularly strong for “Ability to engage with healthcare providers” (coef. −1.54, 95% CI [−1.84, −1.24], p value .001). The results of this article highlight that both conformity to masculine norms and depressive symptoms may be predictors of health literacy among men. The results of this study suggest the need for health literacy media c aigns that address the complexities of gendered help-seeking behaviors. Not applicable.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 08-05-2021
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate whether gender was an effect modifier of the relationship between three psychosocial job stressors and sleep quality, in a representative s le of 7280 employed Australians. We conducted linear regressions and effect measure modification analyses. Low job control, high job demands and low job security were associated with poorer sleep quality. There was evidence of effect modification of the relationship between job security and sleep quality by gender on the additive scale, indicating that the combined effect of being male and having low job security is greater than the summed interactive effect.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 04-2019
Abstract: Both gender and employment are critical and intersecting social determinants of mental and physical health. This paper describes the protocol used to conduct a systematic literature review of the relationship between “gendered working environments” and mental health. Gendered working environments (GWE) are conceptualised as involving: (1) differences in selection into work, and more specifically, occupations (2) variation in employment arrangements and working hours (3) disparities in psychosocial exposures at work, and (4) differences in selection out of work. Methods/design: The review will adhere to a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) search procedure. Key words will be identified that are specific to each of the four domains of GWE. The databases used for the search will be Scopus, Pubmed, Proquest, and Web of Science. Keywords will be adapted for the specific requirements of each electronic database. Inclusion criteria are: Using a validated scale to measure mental health (outcome) including exposures related to the four domains of GWE reporting estimates for both men and women and use of a cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional design. Studies will be excluded if they were published more than 10 years ago, are not in English or do not present extractable data on the relationship between GWE and mental health. Discussion: The proposed review will provide evidence about the numerous and complex ways in which employment and gender intersect (and are reinforced) to influence mental health over the life course.
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 26-03-2019
Abstract: There is good evidence that job stressors are prospectively related to mental health problems, particularly depressive symptoms. This review aimed to examine whether job stressors were also related to use of psychotropic medications. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach, we examined seven electronic databases that indexed literature from a wide range of disciplines. Inclusion criteria were (1) the study included a job stressor or psychosocial working condition as an exposure, and (2) psychotropic medication was an outcome. All effect-size estimates were considered but needed to present either a SE or 95% CIs to be included in meta-analyses. Data were pooled between studies using the relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR) and 95% CIs. There were 18 unique studies with non-overlapping exposures eligible for inclusion in the quantitative meta-analysis. High job demands were associated with a statistically significant increased risk of psychotropic medication use (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.31). There was also an elevated RR in relation to work–family conflict (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.48). In studies reporting OR, high job demands were associated with an OR of 1.39 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.71). The findings of this review highlight the need for policy and programme attention to reduce harmful exposure to psychosocial job stressors. Health-service use measures should be considered as outcomes and may represent more severe mental health conditions.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 16-03-2021
Abstract: Social disadvantage is a key determinant of multimorbidity. Pathways through which social disadvantage leads to multimorbidity are yet undefined. In this study, we first examined the causal effect of moving into financial hardship on multimorbidity among Australian adults, and then the role of social support as a mediator of the relationship between financial hardship and multimorbidity. Data were obtained from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey (2009–2013). We identified in iduals who moved into financial hardship between 2010 and 2011 (n = 5775). Inverse probability treatment weighting with regression adjustment was used to examine the relationship between financial hardship and multimorbidity. Causal mediation analysis was applied to decompose the total effect of financial hardship on multimorbidity into the proportion attributable to social support and the proportion not occurring through measured pathways. We accounted for baseline covariates including age, sex, marital status, educational attainment, employment status, income, country of birth, multimorbidity and social support. Bootstrapping with 1000 replications was used to calculate 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The risk of multimorbidity was higher in those with financial hardship by 19% [relative risk 1.19 (95% CI: 1.02–1.37) and absolute risk difference 0.036 (95% CI: 0.004–0.067)] than those without financial hardship. Social support accounted for 30% of the total effect of financial hardship on multimorbidity, risk difference 0.009 (95% CI: 0.003–0.018). Financial hardship leads to increased risk of multimorbidity. Interventions directed at increasing social support among those in financial hardship may reduce their risk of multimorbidity.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-03-2023
Abstract: The gendered ision of labour contributes to differences in the way time is spent and experienced by women and men. Time spent in paid and unpaid labour is associated with sleep outcomes, therefore, we examined (i) the relationships between time use and time pressure, and sleep, and (ii) whether these relationships were modified by gender. Adults from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey were included in the analysis (N = 7611). Two measures of time use (total time commitments, ≥50% of time spent in paid work) were calculated based on estimates of time spent in different activities. One measure of time pressure was also included. Three sleep outcomes (quality, duration and difficulties) were examined. Logistic regression and effect measure modification analyses were employed. Total time commitments were associated with sleep duration, whereby more hours of total time commitments were associated with an increase in the odds of reporting & h sleep. Gender was an effect modifier of the association between ≥50% of time spent in paid work and (i) sleep duration on the multiplicative scale, and (ii) sleep difficulties on the multiplicative and additive scales. Men who spent & % of time in paid work reported more sleep difficulties than men who spent ≥50% of time spent in paid work. Feeling time pressured was associated with poor sleep quality, short sleep duration and sleep difficulties. Time use and time pressure were associated with sleep, with some effects experienced differently for men and women.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-02-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S00787-019-01278-9
Abstract: Adolescence is a period of elevated stress for many young people, and it is possible that the challenges of adolescence are different for vulnerable groups. We aimed to document the depressive and anxiety symptoms, emotional-behavioural difficulties and suicidal/self-harming behaviours among adolescents with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) or a disability, compared to those with neither disability nor BIF. Data were drawn from the nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Participants were 2950 adolescents with complete data for waves 3-6 (years 2008-2014), aged 14-15 years in 2014. Anxiety and depression symptoms and self-harming/suicidal thought/behaviours were self-reported. Emotional-behavioural difficulties items came from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and were parent-, and adolescent-reported. Results of logistic regression analyses indicate that the emotional-behavioural difficulties of adolescents with either a disability or BIF, were worse than for those with neither disability nor BIF. While adolescents with a disability reported more anxiety symptoms, no clear associations were observed for self-harming/suicidal thoughts/behaviours or depressive symptoms for those with either BIF or a disability. Adolescents with BIF or a disability are at higher risk of poor mental health than those with neither disability nor BIF, and it is vital that factors contributing to these differences are identified in order to reduce these mental health inequalities.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-07-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00127-022-02333-8
Abstract: This systematic review aims to assess and evaluate quantitative evidence on the association between informal caregiving and mental health in young people. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021251666). We conducted our search in the following four databases: Medline (PubMed and OVID), EMBASE, PsycInfo and Web of Science. The last search was performed on the 17th of March of 2021. Quantitative studies that focused on carers aged 25 years or less and compared the mental health status of carers and non-carers were eligible for inclusion. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for eligibility and performed the quality assessment using the Risk of Bias tool in Non-Randomised Studies of Exposures (ROBINS-E). We identified a total of ten eligible articles. Mental health outcomes included depression, anxiety and other mental or emotional problems. Nine out of the ten studies showed that being a young carer was consistently associated with poor mental health. However, the overall quality of evidence was low, and longitudinal data were limited to three articles. The primary sources of bias were confounding and outcome measurement. Young carers experience poorer mental health outcomes than their non-caring peers. However, we identified an overall lack of quantitative evidence of high methodological rigour. To establish if young caring leads to poor mental health, future research should focus on addressing the identified methodological limitations and understanding the mechanisms explaining these associations. Addressing these gaps can better inform the allocation of appropriate support and resources to optimise the mental health of young carers.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 09-2020
Abstract: Low levels of health literacy are associated with poorer health outcomes. Both in idual- and social-level factors have been identified as predictors of low health literacy, and men are known to have lower health literacy than women. Previous research has reported that men working in male-dominated occupations are at higher risk of accidents, injury, and suicide than other population groups, yet no study to date has examined the effect of gendered occupational contexts on men’s health literacy. The current article examined the association between occupational gender ratio and health literacy among Australian males. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health (Ten to Men) was used to examine associations between occupational gender ratio (measured in Wave 1) and health literacy (measured in Wave 2) across three subscales of the Health Literacy Questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used and showed that the more male dominated an occupational group became, the lower the scores of health literacy were. Results for the different subscales of health literacy for the most male-dominated occupational group, compared to the non-male-dominated group were: ability to find good health information, (Coef. −0.80, 95% CI [−1.05, −0.54], p .001) ability to actively engage with health-care providers, (Coef. −0.35, 95% CI [−0.62, −0.07], p = .013) and feeling understood and supported by health-care providers, (Coef. −0.48, 95% CI [−0.71, −0.26], p = .001). The results suggest the need for workplace interventions to address occupation-level factors as an influence on health literacy among Australian men, particularly among the most male-dominated occupational groups.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-04-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S11199-023-01364-Y
Abstract: Scholarly work and public commentary point to the persistence of masculinity models characterized by a sense of entitlement, the exertion of dominance, and the justification of abusive behaviors. While there is abundant theoretical work on men and masculinities, fewer empirical studies have examined how young men develop their masculine ideals. In this study, we theorize the role of fathers’ adherence to masculinity ideology in influencing the development of young men’s masculine ideals. We then provide novel empirical evidence on intergenerational congruence between fathers’ and sons’ masculinities using unique data from an Australian national probability survey. Our results reveal moderate, positive associations between fathers’ and sons’ adherence to masculinity ideology. This pattern holds for an overall measure of masculinity, as well as for each of its subscales. Fathers’ religiosity lified the magnitude of the intergenerational correlation. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at encouraging the development of healthy masculinities amongst young men should engage their paternal figures.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 25-09-2018
Abstract: Suicide is a significant health problem that is known to disproportionately affect those employed in manual occupations, including construction workers and tradespeople. Universal General Awareness Training (GAT) was part of a multi-component suicide prevention program in the Australian construction industry. The program’s aims were to increase awareness of mental health and suicide, reduce stigma, and encourage help-seeking and help-offering behaviours. This paper sought to examine the effectiveness of the GAT program in shifting suicide beliefs. Pre- and post-training survey data of 20,125 respondents was obtained from a database of GAT evaluation results between 2016 and 2018. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were fitted to examine belief changes, and predictive margins and their SEs were computed. Mean differences in belief change were obtained for the overall s le, and by occupation. Modest but significant favourable shifts in three of the four beliefs assessed were observed following GAT. Managers and professionals showed greater propensity to shift beliefs, and Labourers and Machinery Operators and Drivers showed least. Results suggest that GAT can successfully shift some beliefs regarding suicide and mental health at least in the short term, but highlight the need to tailor communication to vulnerable occupational groups.
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 10-12-2021
DOI: 10.1136/OEMED-2020-107149
Abstract: To examine the association between labour force status, including young people who were unemployed and having problems looking for work, and psychological distress one year later. We then assessed whether this association is modified by disability status. We used three waves of cohort data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. We fitted logistic regression models to account for confounders of the relationship between labour force status (employed, not in the labour force, unemployed and having problems looking for work) at age 21 years and psychological distress at age 22 years. We then estimated whether this association was modified by disability status at age 21 years. Being unemployed and having problems looking for work at age 21 years was associated with odds of psychological distress that were 2.48 (95% CI 1.95 to 3.14) times higher than employment. There was little evidence for additive effect measure modification of this association by disability status (2.52, 95% CI −1.21 to 6.25). Young people who were unemployed and having problems looking for work had increased odds of poor mental health. Interventions should focus on addressing the difficulties young people report when looking for work, with a particular focus on supporting those young people facing additional barriers to employment such as young people with disabilities.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2012
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-02-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S00127-023-02429-9
Abstract: In Australia and elsewhere, suicide rates among construction workers remain high. Construction workplaces are thus an important setting for targeted suicide prevention programs. This study aimed to compare suicide prevention literacy and help-seeking intentions among participants receiving face-to-face suicide prevention training, with those receiving face-to-face training augmented by a smartphone application. A two-arm randomised controlled trial of a smartphone suicide prevention intervention was conducted among construction workers in four Australian states (trial registration number: ACTRN12619000625178). All participants received face-to-face training and were randomised to the control condition (face-to-face only, n = 575), or MATESmobile condition (face-to-face + smartphone application , n = 509). Surveys administered at baseline and 3-month follow-up measured suicide prevention literacy and help-seeking intentions for personal/emotional problems and suicidal thoughts. A mixed-model repeated measures (MMRM) analysis included all 1084 randomised participants. Outcomes did not differ significantly for suicide prevention literacy, nor help-seeking intentions from formal sources, informal sources outside the workplace, or no one (did not intend to seek help from anyone). However, relative to those in the control condition, those in the MATESmobile group showed greater increase in help-seeking intentions for emotional problems from a MATES worker/Connector (mean difference 0.54, 95% CI 0.22–0.87) and help-seeking intentions for suicidal thoughts from a workmate (mean difference 0.47, 95% CI 0.10–0.83) or MATES worker/Connector (mean difference 0.47, 95% CI 0.09–0.85). Results indicate that the MATESmobile application, together with face-to-face training, is beneficial in enhancing help-seeking intentions from MATES workers/Connectors and workmates to a greater extent than face-to-face training only. While this research provides some evidence that smartphone applications may support suicide prevention training, further research is needed.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 18-02-2021
Abstract: Worldwide, construction industries are considered to be key economic pillars of the societies they serve, and construction workers constitute a sizeable proportion of the global paid workforce. In many parts of the world, construction workers are at elevated risk of suicide. Here, we examine the extent to which construction workers may be differentially exposed to the economic effects of COVID-19. A narrative review and synthesis of the literature was conducted. The economic and labour market shock resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a convergence of factors that may significantly exacerbate suicide risk among construction workers, particularly among those with lower skills. With important insights from previous financial crises, it is vital that governments, industry and workplaces act rapidly to mitigate suicide risk among vulnerable groups such as construction workers. Mental healthcare investment is needed, and must be complemented by prevention and control in the workplace and in the general community. Anticipating, preparing and acting to ameliorate this risk, particularly among low skilled construction workers, will save many livelihoods, as well as lives.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 31-08-2022
Publisher: American Public Health Association
Date: 10-2016
Abstract: Objectives. To compare the prevalence of bullying victimization and racial discrimination by ethnicity. Methods. We completed a cross-sectional analysis of 3956 children aged 12 to 13 years from wave 5 (2011–2012) of the nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Results. Bullying victimization and racial discrimination were weakly associated and differently patterned by ethnicity. Children from visible minorities reported less bullying victimization but more racial discrimination than did their peers with Australian-born parents. Indigenous children reported the highest risk of bullying victimization and racial discrimination. Conclusions. Peer victimization and racial discrimination each require specific attention as unique childhood stressors. A focus on general bullying victimization alone may miss unique stress exposures experienced by children from stigmatized ethnic backgrounds.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 07-04-2017
Abstract: To provide the first Australian population-based estimates of the association between bullying and adverse mental health outcomes and suicidality among Australian adolescents. Analysis of data from 3537 adolescents, aged 14-15 years from Wave 6 of the K-cohort of Longitudinal Study of Australian Children was conducted. We used Poisson and linear regression to estimate associations between bullying type (none, relational-verbal, physical, both types) and role (no role, victim, bully, victim and bully), and mental health (measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, symptoms of anxiety and depression) and suicidality. Adolescents involved in bullying had significantly increased Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, depression and anxiety scores in all bullying roles and types. In terms of self-harm and suicidality, bully-victims had the highest risk of self-harm (prevalence rate ratio 4.7, 95% confidence interval [3.26, 6.83]), suicidal ideation (prevalence rate ratio 4.3, 95% confidence interval [2.83, 6.49]), suicidal plan (prevalence rate ratio 4.1, 95% confidence interval [2.54, 6.58]) and attempts (prevalence rate ratio 2.7, 95% confidence interval [1.39, 5.13]), followed by victims then bullies. The experience of both relational-verbal and physical bullying was associated with the highest risk of self-harm (prevalence rate ratio 4.6, 95% confidence interval [3.15, 6.60]), suicidal ideation or plans (prevalence rate ratio 4.6, 95% confidence interval [3.05, 6.95] and 4.8, 95% confidence interval [3.01, 7.64], respectively) or suicide attempts (prevalence rate ratio 3.5, 95% confidence interval [1.90, 6.30]). This study presents the first national, population-based estimates of the associations between bullying by peers and mental health outcomes in Australian adolescents. The markedly increased risk of poor mental health outcomes, self-harm and suicidal ideation and behaviours among adolescents who experienced bullying highlights the importance of addressing bullying in school settings.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-05-2019
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 27-07-2021
DOI: 10.1177/00048674211031488
Abstract: This study sought to assess the extent to which gender attitudes are associated with mental health among Australian men and women. This study used a s le of 26,188 in iduals drawn from five waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey. Gender attitudes were classified into three groups (traditional, moderate-egalitarian and egalitarian), and were constructed from six items. Mental health was measured using the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5). We calculated the magnitude of associations between gender attitudes and mental health, stratified by gender, and adjusted for potential confounding. Compared to men with egalitarian attitudes, poorer mental health was observed among men with moderate-egalitarian (−1.16, 95% confidence interval = [−1.84, −0.49]) and traditional gender attitudes (−2.57, 95% confidence interval = [−3.33, −1.81]). Among women, poorer mental health was observed among those with moderate-egalitarian (−0.78, 95% confidence interval = [−1.34, −0.22]) and traditional attitudes (−1.91, 95% confidence interval = [−2.55, −1.26]) compared to those with egalitarian attitudes. For both men and women, egalitarian gender attitudes were associated with better mental health.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 31-03-2021
Abstract: This review aimed to synthesise studies examining the presence of gender stereotypes and biases expressed by young children aged 3–5 years, with a focus on informing early childhood settings. Our review located only 21 separate studies in 16 articles, highlighting a dearth of research in this area. There was substantial heterogeneity in the operationalisation of gender stereotypes and biases. There was evidence that children in early childhood are aware of, and can apply, gender stereotypes. There was also evidence of the malleability of these biases and stereotypes. The social and cultural environment plays a large role in defining the cues by which young children classify on the basis of gender. Research is needed to understand ways to support the establishment of equitable gender attitudes amongst children in early childhood, as this could deliver important benefits to in iduals across their lifetime, as well as society more broadly.
Start Date: 2020
End Date: 2023
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2019
End Date: 2020
Funder: University of Melbourne
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2017
End Date: 2020
Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2018
End Date: 2021
Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2019
End Date: 2021
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 12-2020
End Date: 12-2024
Amount: $400,877.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 12-2019
End Date: 12-2024
Amount: $297,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity