Holocaust denial in Australia

This paper explores the nature of Holocaust denial in Australia. It does so through a study of the beliefs and activities of the three organizations for whom Holocaust denial is a central belief: the Australian League of Rights, the Australian Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Adelaide Institute. Their activities, their international ties, and their relationship with the broader racist Right in Australia is considered. The paper concludes by reflecting on the future directions and responses to Holocaust denial.

Lessons from large-scale conservation networks in Australia

Australia has seen a rapid growth in the establishment of networks of lands managed for connectivity conservation across tenures, at landscape and sub-continental scales. Such networks go under a variety of names, including biosphere reserves, biolinks, wildlife corridors and conservation management networks. Their establishment has varied from state government-led initiatives to those initiated by non-government organizations and interested landholders. We surveyed existing major landscape scale conservation initiatives for successes, failures and future directions and synthesized common themes. These themes included scale, importance of social and economic networks, leadership, governance, funding, conservation planning, the role of protected areas and communication. We discuss the emergence of national policy relating to National Wildlife Corridors in Australia and the relationship of this policy to the long standing commitment to build a comprehensive, adequate and representative National Reserve System. Finally we outline areas for further research for connectivity conservation projects in Australia.

Organisational change : development and transformation

Change Management is a crucial process for gaining the competitive advantage that is the goal of many organisations. This 5th edition of Organisational Change: Development and Transformation has been comprehensively revised to fully explain change management from the perspectives of organisational development and organisational transformation. Leaders and change agents are often faced with conflicting callenges of motivating and understanding increasingly diverse workforces, accounting to stakeholders and planning for the future in a chaotic environment. Comprising 12 chapters in 6 parts, the text opens with an explanation of the environment of change faced by organisations today. It then deals with managing organisational development, which is a planned process of change which is often subject to the incursions of organisational transformation, a more dramatic and unpredictable type of change. With the field of organisation change continuing to evolve, especially in an international context, future directions of change management are also discussed. Finally, to emphasise the relationship between theory to practice, Organisational Change: Development and Transformation 5e provides 10 new local and international case studies and a suite of online cases supported by a case matrix. Case studies, exercises and support material present the challenges of change management in a real-life manner – examining issues from a variety of viewpoints.

Reminiscence-based therapies for depression: should they be used only with older adults?

Reminiscence-based therapies have been reliably evidenced to be an effective intervention for depression. However, to date, their use has been restricted primarily to older adults. This article reviews empirical findings related to the various functions of reminiscence and their correlates with mental health. Reminiscence-based interventions and their effectiveness are then reviewed, with a particular focus on recent evaluations of structured reminiscence-based therapies that utilize preexisting therapeutic frameworks for the treatment for depression. The exclusive use of reminiscence-based therapies with older adult populations is then challenged, and it is argued that these approaches may be useful for reducing depression symptomatology for young and middle-aged adults also. Considerations for the use of reminiscence-based therapies in these populations are discussed, and future directions for research are presented.

Sexting prevalence and correlates: a systematic literature review

Despite considerable controversy and speculation regarding sexting behaviour and its associated risks, to date there has been no integration and analysis of empirical literature on this topic. To collect and synthesise findings of the prevalence of sexting, its correlates, and the context in which it occurs, a systematic search of databases was conducted. Thirty-one studies, reporting on sexting prevalence and a diverse range of related variables, met inclusion criteria. The estimated mean prevalence weighted by sample size was calculated, with trends indicating sexting is more prevalent amongst adults than adolescents, older age is predictive of sexting for adolescents but not adults, and more individuals report receiving sexts than sending them. The correlates of sexting behaviour were grouped in terms of demographic variables, sexual and sexual risk behaviours, attitudes towards sexting, perceived outcomes of sexting, motivations for sexting, mental health and well-being variables, and attachment dimensions. Findings are discussed in terms of the trends indicated by the data, which provided substantiation that sexting behaviour is associated with numerous behavioural, psychological, and social factors. Limitations of the current research literature and future directions are also presented.

A fundamental partnership: the experiences of practising teachers as lecturers in a pre-service teacher education program

This paper reports an evaluation of an innovative university-school partnership in which teacher practitioners work as university lecturers in a regional Australian pre-service teacher education programme. The philosophy of this programme encompasses authentic partnerships between universities, schools and other industry employers. The study was motivated by an interest in understanding the experiences and outcomes for the teacher practitioners and in documenting their experiences. Staff members who are currently on contract as university lecturers as well as teachers who have completed secondments and returned to school settings are surveyed. This paper focuses on suggestions to improve the partnership and discusses future directions for the partnership.

A case-control study of emotion regulation and school refusal in children and adolescents

The current study aimed to investigate emotion regulation (ER) strategy use in a sample of 21 clinic-referred children and adolescents (10-14 years old) presenting with school refusal, all of whom were diagnosed with at least one anxiety disorder. Being the first known study to examine ER and school refusal, hypotheses were guided by previous research on anxiety. It was hypothesized that the school refusal sample would report less healthy ER strategy use compared to an age- and sex-matched nonclinical sample (n = 21). As expected, the school refusal sample reported less use of cognitive reappraisal and greater use of expressive suppression to regulate their emotions than did the nonclinical sample. Although preliminary, the findings provide important information regarding the emotional functioning of children and adolescents presenting with school refusal. Future directions for research and implications for improved prevention and intervention programs are discussed.

A fundamental partnership : the experiences of practising teachers as lecturers in a pre-service teacher education program

This paper reports an evaluation of an innovative university-school partnership in which teacher practitioners work as university lecturers in a regional Australian pre-service teacher education programme. The philosophy of this programme encompasses authentic partnerships between universities, schools and other industry employers. The study was motivated by an interest inunderstanding the experiences and outcomes for the teacher practitioners and in documenting their experiences. Staff members who are currently on contract as university lecturers as well as teachers who have completed secondments and returned to school settings are surveyed. This paper focuses on suggestions to improve the partnership and discusses future directions for the partnership.

Personal resilience in times of crisis : the implications of SWB homeostasis and set-points

Our companion paper (Cummins et al. in J Happiness Stud, 2013) describes the statistical process used to demonstrate set-points and set-point-ranges for subjective wellbeing. The implications of set-points and homeostasis are now considered in the context of resilience. This discussion leads with a brief overview of resilience definitions and is followed by a description of subjective wellbeing (SWB) homeostasis. This addresses, in particular, the issue of SWB malleability under homeostatic control. The link between resources and resilience is then considered, in terms of predictions made by homeostasis theory. Finally, discussion focuses on the implications of such understanding for future directions in SWB research. It is concluded that an understanding of set-points and homeostasis allows new insights into the resilience construct.

Qualitative and historiometric methods in leadership research: a review of the first 25 years of the leadership quarterly

In the spirit of the 25th anniversary edition of The Leadership Quarterly, as the world's premier outlet for leadership research, we have reviewed qualitative and historiometric research across those 25. years. Qualitative research is a complex and cluttered area of scholarship. This is not because there is an inherent confusion about it. Rather, it is because 'qualitative' research is a cover-all term for a wide range of research strategies, paradigms, parent disciplines, sources of data, and methods of analysis for them. More so than in previous journal review articles, we explored variation in qualitative analysis as well as variety in qualitative data. In terms of methodologies, our efforts concentrated on case study, content analysis, grounded theory and historiometrics. We also examined trends toward post-positivism, post-modernity and liquid modernity, and their resultant benefits for researching leadership. Future directions for leadership research are posited. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Exploring observational learning in leadership development for managers

Purpose: Observational learning within the leadership development of managers is under-theorized thus far. The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical argument that builds out from a relational leadership perspective to center on processes affecting observational learning. Design/methodology/approach: The contribution is to draw together research to build a holistic model of observational learning. A further contribution is to apply this model to the context of leadership development. Findings: The paper examines processes associated with attention, availability, access, attainability, motivation and social comparison with significant others in particular contexts. The paper takes a temporal perspective to examine the ways that such interaction appears to be most prominent at particular times. Research limitations/implications: The paper concludes by outlining the opportunities for applying this understanding of observational leadership learning within management development arenas and explore future directions for research. Originality/value: Observational learning has been relatively overlooked. Though the authors often "know" that leaders develop through experience, the role of observational learning in this experience is not well understood. This paper is intended to provide a stimulus for exploring this important area in terms of shaping thinking and designs for management development interventions. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Staging systems in bipolar disorder: an International Society for Bipolar Disorders Task Force report

We discuss the rationale behind staging systems described specifically for bipolar disorders. Current applications, future directions and research gaps in clinical staging models for bipolar disorders are outlined.

Cyclic changes in cortisol across the estrous cycle in parous and nulliparous Asian elephants

 In the context of reproduction, glucocorticoids (GCs) are generally considered to have negative effects. However, in well-studied model species, GCs fluctuate predictability across the estrous cycles, and short-term increases promote healthy ovarian function. Reproductive challenges have plagued captive elephant populations, which are not currently self-sustaining. Efforts to understand reproductive dysfunction in elephants have focused on the suppressive effects of cortisol, but the potential permissive or stimulatory effects of cortisol are unknown. In this study, we provide a detailed examination of cortisol patterns across the estrous cycle in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). Time series analysis was used to analyze cortisol and progesterone data for a total of 73 cycles from eight females. We also compared cortisol profiles between females that successfully conceived and females that failed to conceive despite repeated mating attempts. Our results revealed that cortisol fluctuates predictably across the estrous cycle, with a peak during the second half of the follicular phase followed by low levels throughout the luteal phase. Furthermore, this pattern was significantly altered in nulliparous females; cortisol concentrations did not decline during the luteal phase to the same extent as in parous females. This study highlights the complexity of cortisol signaling and suggests future directions for understanding the role of cortisol in reproductive dysfunction.

Youth mental health first aid: a description of the program and an initial evaluation

BACKGROUND: Adolescence is the peak age of onset for mental illness, with half of all people who will ever have a mental illness experiencing their first episode prior to 18 years of age. Early onset of mental illness is a significant predictor for future episodes. However, adolescents and young adults are less likely than the population as a whole to either seek or receive treatment for a mental illness. The knowledge and attitudes of the adults in an adolescent's life may affect whether or not help is sought, and how quickly. In 2007, the Youth Mental Health First Aid Program was launched in Australia with the aim to teach adults, who work with or care for adolescents, the skills needed to recognise the early signs of mental illness, identify potential mental health-related crises, and assist adolescents to get the help they need as early as possible. This paper provides a description of the program, some initial evaluation and an outline of future directions.

METHODS: The program was evaluated in two ways. The first was an uncontrolled trial with 246 adult members of the Australian public, who completed questionnaires immediately before attending the 14 hour course, one month later and six months later. Outcome measures were: recognition of schizophrenia or depression; intention to offer and confidence in offering assistance; stigmatising attitudes; knowledge about adolescent mental health problems and also about the Mental Health First Aid action plan. The second method of evaluation was to track the uptake of the program, including the number of instructors trained across Australia to deliver the course, the number of courses they delivered, and the uptake of the YMHFA Program in other countries.

RESULTS: The uncontrolled trial found improvements in: recognition of schizophrenia; confidence in offering help; stigmatising attitudes; knowledge about adolescent mental health problems and application of the Mental Health First Aid action plan. Most results were maintained at follow-up. Over the first 3 years of this program, a total of 318 instructors were trained to deliver the course and these instructors have delivered courses to 10,686 people across all states and territories in Australia. The program has also spread to Canada, Singapore and England, and will spread to Hong Kong, Sweden and China in the near future.

CONCLUSIONS: Initial evaluation suggests that the Youth Mental Health First Aid course improves participants' knowledge, attitudes and helping behaviour. The program has spread successfully both nationally and internationally.