Effectiveness of psychological interventions for depressed elderly people in hostels

Thesis: Depression among older adults is a significant health concern. Research involved development and implementation of psychological intervention among older adults living in residential care. Poor participation was encountered amongst residential care facilities and older adults. The research identified barriers impeding provision of care for older adults with mental health concerns. The portfolio presents case studies demonstrating the flow-on effects of negative childhood experiences into adult relationships. The analyses illustrate how difficulties in childhood are associated with the development of depression and anxiety in later life.

Improving health with nutritional interventions in residential aged care

In a group of Australian aged care residents, dietary energy and nutrient intakes were generally inadequate, despite sufficient energy being served. Six months of multivitamin supplementation improved nutritional status and bone quality; and six months of fortified milk consumption improved serum 25(OH)D and folate levels, and increased vitamin D and folate intakes.

Case study demonstration of the family context of anxiety disorders across the lifespan and the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural interventions

This portfolio aims to explore some of the issues related to the treatment of anxiety disorders in clinical practice by reviewing the literature on anxiety disorders across the lifespan and presenting four clinical case studies of individuals with different anxiety disorders.

Brief anger interventions with offenders may be ineffective : a replication and extension

Anger-management interventions are widely delivered in the criminal justice and forensic mental health systems. Whilst previous research has generally supported the thesis that anger management is an effective intervention for anger problems in general there remains a need to determine its effectiveness with offender populations. This paper reports the results of a controlled outcome study of a 20 h anger-management program offered to offenders. Those receiving treatment showed improvements in their knowledge about anger, but showed little change on measures of anger and anger expression when compared to waiting-list controls. Scores on measures of treatment readiness and level of need for treatment were however, correlated with post-treatment improvement. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the assessment and selection of appropriate participants for offender anger-management programs.

Prioritizing policy interventions to improve diets? Will it work, can it happen, will it do harm?

Policies from non-health sectors have considerable impacts on the food environment and in turn on population nutrition. Health impact assessment (HIA) methods have been developed to identify the potential health effects of non-health policies; however, they are underused both within and outside the health sector. HIA and other assessment methods and tools can be used more extensively in health promotion to assist with the identification of the best policy options to pursue to improve and protect health. A participatory process is presented in this paper which combines HIAs with feasibility and effectiveness assessments. The intention is to enable health promoters to more accurately identify which policy change options would be most likely to improve diets, considering both impact and likelihood of implementation. The process was successfully used in Fiji and Tonga and provided a more systematic way of understanding which policy interventions showed the most promise.

Psychological interventions for the prevention and management of lifestyle-related chronic disease

The Australian Government's current health reform agenda provides a timely opportunity to highlight the contribution of health psychology interventions in the prevention and management of chronic diseases associated with lifestyle risk factors. The World Health Organisation (2009) has identified the main risk factors responsible for deaths internationally as high blood pressure (responsible for 13% of deaths), tobacco use (9%), high blood sugar (6%), physical inactivity (6%), overweight and obesity (5%), high cholesterol (5%), unsafe sex (4%) and alcohol use (4%). A number of these factors also increase the risk of major chronic diseases - cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancers. There is now a substantial evidence base for the effectiveness of health improvement interventions based on psychological theory, research and practice and hence they deserve a high level of recognition within systems for funding health. This article presents a summary of a systematic review of the evidence for the effectiveness of health psychology interventions in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases associated with lifestyle risk factors.

Interventions to improve empathy awareness in sexual and violent offenders : conceptual, empirical, and clinical issues

Interventions that seek to increase empathy are a common feature of programs offered to sexual and violent offenders. Yet, there is little empirical evidence to suggest that they contribute positively to program outcomes. This paper explores the rationale for the delivery of empathy training with violent offenders, describes some of the most commonly used approaches, and reviews the current evidence base relating to effectiveness. It is concluded that while there are strong theoretical grounds for identifying empathy deficits as an important area of criminogenic need, there are considerable difficulties in establishing the extent to which the interventions offered in this area might be considered to be successful in reducing risk.