ORCID Profile
0000-0003-2563-2867
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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.
Counselling, Welfare and Community Services | Public Health and Health Services | Health and Community Services
Community Service (excl. Work) not elsewhere classified | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Development and Welfare | Social Class and Inequalities |
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 17-11-2017
Abstract: espite the growing number of mental health apps available for smartphones, the perceived usability of these apps from the perspectives of end users or health care experts has rarely been reported. This information is vital, particularly for self-guided mHealth interventions, as perceptions of navigability and quality of content are likely to impact participant engagement and treatment compliance. he aim of this study was to conduct a usability evaluation of a personalized, self-guided, app-based intervention for depression. articipants were administered the System Usability Scale and open-ended questions as part of a semistructured interview. There were 15 participants equally ided into 3 groups: (1) in iduals with clinical depression who were the target audience for the app, (2) mental health professionals, and (3) researchers who specialize in the area of eHealth interventions and/or depression research. he end-user group rated the app highly, both in quantitative and qualitative assessments. The 2 expert groups highlighted the self-monitoring features and range of established psychological treatment options (such as behavioral activation and cognitive restructuring) but had concerns that the amount and layout of content may be difficult for end users to navigate in a self-directed fashion. The end-user data did not confirm these concerns. ncouraging participant engagement via self-monitoring and feedback, as well as personalized messaging, may be a viable way to maintain participation in self-guided interventions. Further evaluation is necessary to determine whether levels of engagement with these features enhance treatment effects.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 24-03-2021
DOI: 10.1111/HSC.13349
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.1111/CP.12154
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 23-03-2022
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.1111/CP.12162
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 19-06-2017
Abstract: Limited human studies have directly tested the dissociation between wanting and liking with human substance users, a core tenet of the Incentive Sensitisation Theory (IST). The aim of this study is to test the dissociation between wanting and liking in humans across two commonly used licit substances, alcohol and caffeine. The STRAP-R (Sensitivity To Reinforcement of Addictive and other Primary Rewards) questionnaire was administered to 285 alcohol users (mean age=33.30, SD= 8.83) and 134 coffee users (mean age=33.05, SD=8.10) ranging in their levels of substance use to assess wanting and liking. Findings showed that in high risk alcohol users wanting may drive alcohol consumption more so than liking, compared with low risk alcohol users. However, wanting and liking did not significantly dissociate as alcohol consumption increased. These findings partially support IST. Additionally, IST was not supported in coffee users. It is possible that caffeine functions differently at the neurological level compared with alcohol, perhaps explaining the lack of dissociation emerging in coffee users as caffeine use increased. Nevertheless, the current study makes several contributions to IST research. Future studies should focus on utilising the STRAP-R with a clinically dependent s le to test the dissociation between wanting and liking.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-0011
DOI: 10.1111/IMJ.14713
Abstract: Despite clear priority and high costs of leadership capability programmes in healthcare, and significant investments into improving clinical leadership, there remains a prominent gap around evidence of effectiveness or impact on patient outcomes in Australia. We aimed to conduct a systematic review on postgraduate clinical leadership programmes to gather learnings on the processes, theoretical underpinnings, and impact of such programmes for medical and other health professionals. Our search included empirical, peer-reviewed evaluations of Australian clinical leadership development programmes published between November 2008 and March 2019 and yielded 3284 records. Four studies met criteria. Findings revealed that currently, little value is placed on formal evaluations and peer-reviewed publication including assessment of in idual, organisational or system level impacts of clinical leadership development programmes, with limited evidence available on effective approaches to clinical leadership development in the Australian healthcare system.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 24-11-2020
DOI: 10.2196/17156
Abstract: Mobile apps for problematic substance use have the potential to bypass common barriers to treatment seeking. Ten years following the release of the first app targeting problematic tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use, their effectiveness, use, and acceptability remains unclear. This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review of trials evaluating mobile app interventions for problematic tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. The review was conducted according to recommended guidelines. Relevant databases were searched, and articles were included if the mobile app study was a controlled intervention trial and reported alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drug consumption as outcomes. A total of 20 studies met eligibility criteria across a range of substances: alcohol (n=11), tobacco (n=6), alcohol and tobacco (n=1), illicit drugs (n=1), and illicit drugs and alcohol (n=1). S les included the general community, university students, and clinical patients. The analyzed intervention s le sizes ranged from 22 to 14,228, and content was considerably erse, from simple stand-alone apps delivering self-monitoring or psychoeducation to multicomponent apps with interactive features and audio content, or used as adjuncts alongside face-to-face treatment. Intervention duration ranged from 1 to 35 weeks, with notifications ranging from none to multiple times per day. A total of 6 of the 20 app interventions reported significant reductions in substance use at post or follow-up compared with a comparison condition, with small to moderate effect sizes. Furthermore, two other app interventions reported significant reductions during the intervention but not at post treatment, and a third reported a significant interaction of two app intervention components. Although most app interventions were associated with reductions in problematic substance use, less than one-third were significantly better than the comparison conditions at post treatment. A total of 5 out of the 6 apps that reported intervention effects targeted alcohol (of those, one targeted alcohol and illicit drugs and another alcohol and tobacco) and 1 targeted tobacco. Moreover, 3 out of 6 apps included feedback (eg, personalized) and 2 had high risk of bias, 1 some risk, and 3 low risk. All 6 apps included interventions of 6 weeks or longer. Common study limitations were small s le sizes risk of bias lack of relevant details and, in some cases, poorly balanced comparison conditions. Appropriately powered trials are required to understand which app interventions are most effective, length of engagement required, and subgroups most likely to benefit. In sum, evidence to date for the effectiveness of apps targeting problematic substance use is not compelling, although the heterogeneous comparison conditions and trial designs across studies limit the ability to compare efficacy between apps. We discuss potential approaches that can help ascertain whether the promise of mobile app interventions for problematic substance use can be fulfilled.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 14-03-2021
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 23-08-2018
DOI: 10.2196/MENTAL.9445
Abstract: Despite the growing number of mental health apps available for smartphones, the perceived usability of these apps from the perspectives of end users or health care experts has rarely been reported. This information is vital, particularly for self-guided mHealth interventions, as perceptions of navigability and quality of content are likely to impact participant engagement and treatment compliance. The aim of this study was to conduct a usability evaluation of a personalized, self-guided, app-based intervention for depression. Participants were administered the System Usability Scale and open-ended questions as part of a semistructured interview. There were 15 participants equally ided into 3 groups: (1) in iduals with clinical depression who were the target audience for the app, (2) mental health professionals, and (3) researchers who specialize in the area of eHealth interventions and/or depression research. The end-user group rated the app highly, both in quantitative and qualitative assessments. The 2 expert groups highlighted the self-monitoring features and range of established psychological treatment options (such as behavioral activation and cognitive restructuring) but had concerns that the amount and layout of content may be difficult for end users to navigate in a self-directed fashion. The end-user data did not confirm these concerns. Encouraging participant engagement via self-monitoring and feedback, as well as personalized messaging, may be a viable way to maintain participation in self-guided interventions. Further evaluation is necessary to determine whether levels of engagement with these features enhance treatment effects.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.ADDBEH.2019.06.008
Abstract: Daily assessment studies have examined how day specific factors, such as affect, social context, and drinking motives, alongside dispositional drinking motives, predict young adults' drinking. However, these studies did not examine how the interplay between drinking motives (dispositional and day specific) and multiple features of the drinking situation predict drinking with respect to either the initial decision to drink or the quantity of alcohol consumed. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) via smartphone technology, enables us to address this gap by evaluating to what extent dispositional drinking motives and day specific factors are associated with: a) the initiation of drinking episodes and b) the quantity of alcohol consumed. Participants were 83 young adults (63 female) aged 18 to 30 (M = 21.42, SD = 3.09) who resided in Australia and participated in an EMA study for 21 days via their smartphone. On a daily basis, participants received three random-interval prompts that measured momentary affect, drinking motives, social context (e.g., people present in the social context and if these in iduals are drinking), and alcohol use. A multilevel hurdle analysis found that young adults were more likely to both initiate a drinking episode and consume a higher quantity of alcohol if they were surrounded by other people who were drinking and were motivated to drink to conform to the reference group. This study is the first of its kind to demonstrate that different drinking behaviors (i.e., initiation and quantity of alcohol consumed) are associated with a similar set of predictors. Drinking-based interventions that address these risk factors could effectively reduce risky drinking as it would intervene on both the decision to initiate alcohol use, and the decision to continue drinking.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 17-10-2020
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 25-11-2019
Abstract: obile apps for problematic substance use have the potential to bypass common barriers to treatment seeking. Ten years following the release of the first app targeting problematic tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use, their effectiveness, use, and acceptability remains unclear. his study aims to conduct a systematic literature review of trials evaluating mobile app interventions for problematic tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. he review was conducted according to recommended guidelines. Relevant databases were searched, and articles were included if the mobile app study was a controlled intervention trial and reported alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drug consumption as outcomes. total of 20 studies met eligibility criteria across a range of substances: alcohol (n=11), tobacco (n=6), alcohol and tobacco (n=1), illicit drugs (n=1), and illicit drugs and alcohol (n=1). S les included the general community, university students, and clinical patients. The analyzed intervention s le sizes ranged from 22 to 14,228, and content was considerably erse, from simple stand-alone apps delivering self-monitoring or psychoeducation to multicomponent apps with interactive features and audio content, or used as adjuncts alongside face-to-face treatment. Intervention duration ranged from 1 to 35 weeks, with notifications ranging from none to multiple times per day. A total of 6 of the 20 app interventions reported significant reductions in substance use at post or follow-up compared with a comparison condition, with small to moderate effect sizes. Furthermore, two other app interventions reported significant reductions during the intervention but not at post treatment, and a third reported a significant interaction of two app intervention components. lthough most app interventions were associated with reductions in problematic substance use, less than one-third were i significantly /i better than the comparison conditions at post treatment. A total of 5 out of the 6 apps that reported intervention effects targeted alcohol (of those, one targeted alcohol and illicit drugs and another alcohol and tobacco) and 1 targeted tobacco. Moreover, 3 out of 6 apps included feedback (eg, personalized) and 2 had high risk of bias, 1 some risk, and 3 low risk. All 6 apps included interventions of 6 weeks or longer. Common study limitations were small s le sizes risk of bias lack of relevant details and, in some cases, poorly balanced comparison conditions. Appropriately powered trials are required to understand which app interventions are most effective, length of engagement required, and subgroups most likely to benefit. In sum, evidence to date for the effectiveness of apps targeting problematic substance use is not compelling, although the heterogeneous comparison conditions and trial designs across studies limit the ability to compare efficacy between apps. We discuss potential approaches that can help ascertain whether the promise of mobile app interventions for problematic substance use can be fulfilled.
Publisher: The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare
Date: 07-08-2020
DOI: 10.1017/CHA.2020.40
Abstract: This research was undertaken on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to Elders of the past, present and emerging, and also acknowledge the generous contribution to this research made by women and their families and Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) staff. Aboriginal Cradle to Kinder (AC2K) is a home-visiting and advocacy programme focussed on promoting Aboriginal maternal and child health during both pre- and postnatal stages of parenthood which was delivered by VACCA, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation. While there have been some feasibility assessments conducted on AC2K, no study to date has evaluated the impact of this programme from the perspective of neither the women nor the staff who deliver the programme. The aim of this study, therefore, was to evaluate how both the women and the staff evaluated the AC2K programme, namely the strengths, limitations and recommendations of the programme. Through consultation with VACCA, this study used a qualitative approach using interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the processes underpinning the programme coupled with participants’ experiences of the programme. A co-design process was used in the development of interview questions, and a total of seven women and six workers participated in semi-structured interviews. The results revealed three superordinate themes across both participant groups: cultural connection (i.e. how well the programme facilitates cultural connection), system complexities (i.e. caseloads, staff turnover and child protection [CP] difficulties) and programme features (i.e. parenting enhancement and unique programme benefits). The processes, and the programme more broadly, were evaluated positively by both the women and staff who supported its delivery. Specifically, a greater connection to culture, increased parenting skills and unique programme benefits were reported. However, there were recommendations on how the programme could be further strengthened, including negotiable caseloads with the Department and improved partnership with CP. These changes can help to further improve the experiences of both the women and their workers when engaging in Aboriginal specific maternal health and well-being supports.
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 09-2020
DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2019-036449
Abstract: Older adults with cognitive impairment are vulnerable to frequent hospital admissions and emergency department presentations. The aim of this study was to use a codesign approach to develop MyCare Ageing, a programme that will train volunteers to provide psychosocial support to older people with dementia and/or delirium in hospital and at home when discharged from hospital. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. This study adopts an action research methodology. We report on two co-design workshops with keystakeholders: Workshop 1: identification of components from three existing programmes to inform the development of the MyCare Ageing program logic and, Workshop 2: identification of implementation strategies. The key stakeholders and workshop participants included clinicians (geriatricians, nurses and allied health), hospital staff (volunteer coordinators and hospital executives), Baptcare staff, a consumer, researchers and implementation experts and project staff. Workshop 1 identified the components from three existing programmes—the Volunteer Dementia and Delirium Care programme, Home-Start and MyCare for inclusion in MyCare Ageing. In workshop 2, the p implementation plan was developed taking into consideration hospital-specific processes, training and support needs of volunteers and safety and risk management processes. The codesign process was successfully applied to develop the MyCare Ageing programme to provide volunteer support to patients with dementia and/or delirium in hospital and their transition home. MyCare Ageing is an innovative programme that meets an identified need from hospitals and consumers to support patients with dementia and/or delirium to improve psychosocial outcomes on discharge from hospital.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 06-11-2020
Abstract: Interventions supporting older adults’ transition from hospital to home can address geriatric needs. Yet this evidence base is fragmented. This review describes transitional interventions that provide pre- and post-discharge support for older adults and evaluates their implementation and effectiveness in improving health and well-being. Articles were included if they examined the extent to which transitional interventions were effective in improving health and well-being outcomes and reducing hospital readmission rates among older adults. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. Four types of interventions were identified: education-based (10/20) goal-oriented (4/20) exercise (4/20) and social support interventions (2/20). Education and goal-oriented interventions were effective in improving health and well-being outcomes. The impact of interventions on mitigating hospital readmissions was inconclusive. Only five studies examined implementation. Older adults transitioning from hospital to home would benefit from tailored education and goal-oriented interventions that promote their capacity for self-care.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-04-2022
Publisher: The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare
Date: 26-10-2020
DOI: 10.1017/CHA.2020.54
Abstract: Young people who leave Out-of-Home Care (OoHC) are a significantly vulnerable cohort. No after-care support program to date has been completely informed by young people and their care team. This scoping study explored the perspectives of young people and their wider care team on: (1) challenges surrounding the transition process and (2) how these challenges can be addressed. Semi-structured interviews and focus group sessions were conducted with 33 stakeholders from OoHC (i.e., young people in care young people who had transitioned from care carers caseworkers and senior OoHC executives). Four themes captured the challenges of transitioning out of care, including: (1) inadequate processes underpinning the transition (2) instability within the family unit (3) financial challenges and (4) lack of independence during care. Stakeholders agreed that greater support during the transition process is necessary, including life-skills training while in care and a post-care worker and/or mentor to provide after-care support. These findings provide compelling insights into the challenges that young people transitioning from OoHC experience and possible solutions for how such challenges can be addressed. These findings will inform the development and delivery of a co-designed and specialised after-care support service for this population.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-07-2017
DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2017.1343677
Abstract: An increasingly popular form of data collection in health psychology research is Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) that is, using diaries or smartphones to collect intensive longitudinal data. This method is increasingly applied to the study of relationships between state-based aspects of in iduals' functioning and health outcomes (e.g., binge eating, alcohol use). Analysis of such data is challenging and regression tree modelling (RTM) may be a useful alternative to multilevel modelling for investigating the association between a set of explanatory variables and a continuous outcome. Furthermore, RTM outputs 'decision trees' that could be used by health practitioners to guide assessment and tailor intervention. In contrast to regression, RTM is able to easily accommodate many complex, higher-order interactions between predictor variables (without the need to create explicit interaction terms). These benefits make the technique useful for those interested in monitoring and intervening upon health and psychological outcomes (e.g., mood, eating behaviour, risky alcohol use, and treatment adherence). Using real data, this paper demonstrates both the benefits and limitations of RTM and how to extend these models to accommodate analysis of nested data that is, data that arise from EMA where repeated observations are nested within in iduals.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 09-2019
DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2019-031362
Abstract: Children and young people placed in out-of-home care (OoHC) are often affected by a history of trauma and adverse childhood experiences. Trauma in early childhood can impact on children’s health and psychosocial development, whereas early interventions can improve children’s development and placement stability. Although several interventions and practice models have been developed to improve health and psychosocial outcomes for children and young people in OoHC, there remains a lack of rigorous research examining the impact of these interventions in OoHC settings, as there are no systematic reviews examining the impact these interventions and practice models have on the children and young people they serve. We aim to conduct a comprehensive systematic review to examine the effectiveness of interventions and practice models for improving health and psychosocial outcomes in children and young people living in OoHC and to identify relevant knowledge gaps. Major electronic databases including Medline, Medline in-process and other non-indexed citations, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycInfo, Sociological Abstracts and all Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews incorporating: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, American College of PhysiciansJournal Club, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects,Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CochraneMethodology Register, Health Technology Assessment and National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database, will be systematically searched for any studies published between 2008 and 2018 of interventions and practice models developed to improve health and psychosocial outcomes for children and young people in OoHC. Two independent reviewers will assess titles and abstracts for eligibility according to prespecified selection criteria and will perform data extraction and quality appraisal. Meta-analyses and/or metaregression will be conducted where appropriate. This study will not collect primary data and formal ethical approval is therefore not required. Findings from this systematic review will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations. CRD42019115082.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2021
No related organisations have been discovered for Renee O'Donnell.
Start Date: 06-2023
End Date: 06-2027
Amount: $554,188.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity