Wellbeing of Australians : carer health and wellbeing

This Report concerns the subjective wellbeing of carers in Australia. It is the product of a partnership between Carers Australia, Australian Unity, and Deakin University. All three partners were involved in all stages of the project as planning the logistics, designing the questionnaire and composing the report. Data analysis was undertaken by Deakin University while the logistics of questionnaire mailout was managed by Australian Unity and Carers Australia. The actual mailing took place from each of the state/territory Carers Associations, who used their own databases to print and affix the addresses of their members to the envelopes. Three major outcome measures have been used. The first is the Personal Wellbeing Index, which is our standard measure of wellbeing. The Index score is the average level of satisfaction across seven aspects of personal life – health, personal relationships, safety, standard of living, achieving in life, community connectedness, and future security. The other two outcome measures are sub-scales taken from the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995). This is a very well regarded scale and the sub-scales of Depression and Stress have been used for this study. A total of 10,939 questionnaires were distributed and 4,107 were returned in time for processing. This constitutes a 37.6% response rate.

Nation-state belonging among Asian Australians and the question of transnationalism

Research shows that migrants are likely to develop multiple attachments to local and global allegiances that lie beyond the boundaries of the nation-state. Drawing on the Asian Australian experience as a point of departure, this article explores whether Asian Australian migrants from a range of different social and cultural backgrounds are more or less likely than the rest of the Australian population to feel a sense of belonging to the nation-state. Using the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes 2003, the results show that Asian Australian migrants have similar views towards the nation-state as the rest of the Australian population. Given that research on the Asian Australian migrant experience is predominantly located in cultural studies, the results suggest the importance of using survey research as another avenue to understand the migrant experience.

Perceptions of Australian cultural identity among Asian Australians

A review of research on transnationalism shows that diasporas with transnational orientations and connections tend to have a strong attachment to local and global identities but a weak attachment to the nation state. In addition, it is argued that territorial nation states are losing their authority in an increasingly globalised and interconnected world. Governments in western democracies have responded by tightening restrictions on citizenship and placing more emphasis on social cohesion and integration rather than multiculturalism. Using the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes (2003), this paper examines attachment to cultural conceptions of national identity among the Asian Australian diaspora and examines the existing literature about the relationship between transmigrants and the nation state. Findings from the study reveal a number of social determinants behind variation in emotional attachment to cultural conceptions of national identity.

Health-related beliefs, explanations and actions of older Anglo-Celtic-Australians

This thesis was an exploration of the health-related understandings and experiences of older Anglo-Celtic-Australians from a disadvantaged metropolitan locality. New insights were gained about the relationship between disadvantage and poor health outcomes; particularly the impact of limited self-care practices in combination with difficulties relating to the health care professionals.

With guarded optimism? Evidence from focus groups of ‘mainstream’ Australians’ perceptions of Muslims

Studies of Australian perceptions of Muslims and Islam tend to be based on research into media representations of these themes. Additionally, most research on attitudes pertaining to social cohesion and security in the post-9/11 environment concentrates on the opinions of minority groups on these matters. The following study is drawn from materials extracted from focus group discussions relating to Islam, multiculturalism and security that took place with 119 Australians from so-called ethnic and religious majority groups (European descended, and identifying with Judaeo-Christian traditions or having no religious affiliation) in selected metropolitan and rural/regional centres of the state of Victoria in 2007–2008. This article is guided by the following research questions: How can ‘mainstream’ Australian attitudes towards Muslims be categorized? What concerns ‘mainstream’ Australians most about Muslims? Can these attitudes be considered to be Islamophobic? If not, how else may we classify these attitudes? Although some participants voiced very strong, critical and at times unflattering and potentially antagonistic opinions of Muslims, most contributors were guardedly optimistic that current tensions with and controversies surrounding Australia’s Muslims would subside, and that Muslims would soon become well established within Australian society, as previous generations of migrants have since World War II.

A study of older Australians’ volunteering and quality of life : empirical evidence and policy implications

Older Australians are confronted by dramatic changes in their physical, social, financial, and psychological well-being. There are social costs to these changes related to their productivity and increased costs associated with caring for older Australians. Greater community engagement through voluntary work practice may minimize these costs, as well as positively influence volunteers' subjective quality of life (QOL). This study investigates the motivations for older Australians to engage in formal voluntary work. It seeks to identify whether the motivational factors to volunteer are associated with individuals' subjective QOL. The results indicate a positive relationship between older people's motivations to volunteer and their subjective QOL. This association is strengthened by respondents' community orientation, positive perception of voluntary work, positive personal attitudes toward volunteering, and their self-esteem. The role of policy makers in motivating larger participation by the older groups is discussed.

At what age can females consent to sexual activity? A survey of jury-eligible Australians

One suggested reason for the low conviction rates of alleged child sexual abuse offenders relates to the attitudes and beliefs the public hold about such victims; sexual interactions starting at an earlier age; and because the oversexualisation of children and teenagers portrayed in the media may have affected perceptions as to when females are capable ofgiving consent to sexual interactions. A sample of 580 jury-eligible participants completed six implicit questions via an online survey regarding females' capacity to consent. While participants had similar perceptions in response to the type of question asked, there were some differences due to respondent group. When significant differences were observed, women had significantly lower estimates of the age at which female adolescents can make informed decisions about sexual activity than men, as did respondents who had children and were older. Working with children had little impact. The legal implications of these findings are discussed.

Stigma toward mental illness : a cross-cultural comparison of Taiwanese, Chinese immigrants to Australia and Anglo-Australians

This study investigated the relationship between culture and attitudes toward mental illness. In total, 196 men and 347 women were recruited from Australia and Taiwan. All participants completed a questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward mental illness. Australian-born Chinese and Chinese immigrants to Australia also completed a questionnaire assessing cultural values. Chinese immigrants to Australia and Taiwanese held more stigmatizing attitudes than Australian-born Chinese and Anglo-Australians. Australian-born Chinese adopted Australian cultural practices more than Chinese immigrants, but these groups did not differ in terms of adherence to Chinese cultural practices. The adoption of Australian cultural practices was significantly associated with lower stigmatizing attitudes. These findings reveal the influence of culture and acculturation processes on stigmatizing attitudes toward the mentally ill.

Psychosocial predictors of antiracist bystander action toward indigenous Australians

Racism toward Indigenous people remains a social problem in Australian culture, and racial abuse is part of that social problem. In this research, we investigated whether internal and external motivations, being open-minded, and having racist attitudes predicted the intention to engage in bystander action in support of Indigenous Australians in situations deemed low- and high-risk to personal safety. A total of 168 non-Indigenous community participants completed an anonymous online survey in Perth, Western Australia. In the low-risk scenario, low levels of racism, high internal motivation, and openness predicted the intention to engage in bystander action. In the high-risk scenario, participants with lower levels of racism and being female were more likely to engage in bystander action in support of Indigenous Australians. Coupled with previous research in the field, our findings suggest that internalized values relating to antiracist sentiments are significant predictors of antiracist bystander action.

Perceptions of the intergroup structure and anti-Asian prejudice among white Australians

Subjective intergroup beliefs and authoritarianism were assessed in a field study (N=255) of White Australians' anti-Asian stereotyping and prejudice. A social identity analysis of intergroup prejudice was adopted, such that perceptions of the intergroup structure (instability, permeability, legitimacy and higher ingroup status) were proposed as predictors of higher prejudice (blatant and covert) and less favorable stereotyping. Consistent with the social identity approach, both independent and interacting roles for sociostructural predictors of Anti-Asian bias were observed, even after demographic and personality variables were controlled. For example, perceived legitimacy was associated with higher prejudice when White Australians' status position relative to Asian Australians was valued. Moreover, when participants evaluated Whites' position as unstable and high status or legitimate, perceptions of permeable intergroup boundaries were associated with anti-Asian bias. The present findings demonstrate status protection responses in advantaged group members in a field setting, lending weight to the contention that perceptions of sociostructural threat interact to predict outgroup derogation. Implications for theories of intergroup relations are discussed.

Aboriginal self-determination in Australia - The effects of minority-majority frames and target universalism on majority collective guilt and compensation attitudes

In the context of Aboriginal-Anglo Australian relations, we tested the effect of framing (multiculturalism versus separatism) and majority group members' social values (universalism) on the persuasiveness of Aboriginal group rhetoric, majority collective guilt, attitudes toward compensation, and reparations for Aboriginals. As predicted, Anglo Australians who are low on universalism report more collective guilt when presented with a multiculturalist than a separatist Aboriginal frame, whereas those high on universalism report high levels of guilt independent of frame. The same pattern was predicted and found for the persuasiveness of the rhetoric and attitudes toward compensation. Our data suggest that (a) for individuals low in universalism, framing produces attitudes consonant with compensation because it produces collective guilt and (b) the reason that universalists are more in favor of compensation and reparation is because of high collective guilt. We discuss the strategic use of language to create power through the manipulation of collective guilt in political contexts.

Eating disorder attitudes and psychopathology in Caucasian Australian, Asian Australian and Thai university students

Objective: To examine eating disorder attitudes and psychopathology among female university students in Australia and Thailand. Method: Participants were 110 Caucasian Australians, 130 Asian Australians and 101 Thais in Thailand. The instruments included the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Results: Eating disorder attitudes and psychopathology scores in the Thai group were found to be highest. The Asian Australian group did not have significantly higher scores on the EAT-26 than the Caucasian Australian group, but had higher scores in some subscales of the EDI-2. That the Thai group had the highest scores in susceptibility to developing an eating disorder and eating disorder psychopathology may be partially explained in sociocultural terms, with pressure to be thin more extreme in Thailand than in Australia. The evidence suggested that unhealthy eating disorder psychopathology is not limited to Western societies but is already present in Thai and other Asian societies.

Prescription and over-the-counter pain medication in arthritis: awareness of active ingredients and attitudes to medication borrowing and sharing

Background:
Many Australians with arthritis self-manage their pain with prescription and/or over-the-counter pain medications, containing paracetamol. If taken appropriately, these medications are relatively safe; however, if mismanaged through patients' iinability to understand medication labels and instructions, these medications may cause adverse drug events and/or toxicities.
Aim:
This study explored the prescription and over-the-counter pain medications most commonly used by people with arthritis and the ability of these patients to correctly identify paracetamol as an active ingredient in commonly available preparations. The study also investigated the functional health literacy of these patients and their inclination to borrow and/or share pain medications.
Method:
Adult participants diagnosed with arthritis were invited to complete an anonymous survey which included questions about their prescription and over-the-counter pain medications; their medication borrowing and sharing behaviours; their functional health literacy; and their knowledge about preparations containing paracetamol as an active ingredient.
Results:
Most of the 254 participants used analgesic agents containing paracetamol, as combination tablets (paracetamol 500 mg and codeine 30 mg) or paracetamol-only tablets (paracetamol 665 mg) to self-manage their pain. Respondents with low functional health literacy scores were significantly less likely to identify paracetamol as an active ingredient in both combination and paracetamol-only pharmaceutical products, and were more likely to guess or did not know how to identify that paracetamol was an active ingredient in these products. Almost 30% of the respondents indicated that they had and/or intended to borrow/share their over-the-counter
pain medications whereas less than 10% suggested that they had and/or intended to borrow/share their prescription pain medication.
Conclusion:
Australians with arthritis, especially those with low functional health literacy scores, self-managing their pain with paracetamol-containing products, do not always recognise paracetamol as an active ingredient in combination products, and may risk potential paracetamol-related adverse effects and/or toxicities.

Family presence during management of acute deterioration: clinician attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of current practices

BACKGROUND: The nature of acute clinical deterioration has changed over the last three decades with a decrease in in-hospital cardiac arrests and an increase in acute clinical deterioration. Despite this change, research related to family presence continues to focus on care during resuscitation rather than during acute deterioration. AIM: To explore healthcare clinician attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of current practices surrounding family presence during episodes of acute deterioration in adult Emergency Department patients. METHODS: Clinicians (n=156) from a single study site in Melbourne, Australia completed a 17-item survey. RESULTS: Participants disagreed that family members would interrupt (59.0%) or interfere (61.5%) with patient care if present during episodes of patient deterioration. Most (77.6%) participants stated that they included family during episodes of patient deterioration. Females, nurses and Australians/New Zealanders had a more positive attitude towards including family during episodes of patient deterioration when compared to males, doctors and clinicians of other ethnicities. Nurses with post-graduate qualifications and those with more years of experience had a more positive attitude towards including family during episodes of patient deterioration than nurses without post-graduation qualification and with less years of experience. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians had predominantly positive attitudes towards including family during episodes of patient deterioration and perceived it to be a common day-to-day practice. Gender, profession, country of birth, education level and years of experience all impacted on clinician attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of family presence during acute deterioration.