The differential impact of holocaust trauma across three generations

In the current thesis, the reasons for the differential impact of Holocaust trauma on Holocaust survivors, and the differential intergenerational transmission of this trauma to survivors’ children and grandchildren were explored. A model specifically related to Holocaust trauma and its transmission was developed based on trauma, family systems and attachment theories as well as theoretical and anecdotal conjecture in the Holocaust literature. The Model of the Differential Impact of Holocaust Trauma across Three Generations was tested firstly by extensive meta-analyses of the literature pertaining to the psychological health of Holocaust survivors and their descendants and secondly via analysis of empirical study data. The meta-analyses reported in this thesis represent the first conducted with research pertaining to Holocaust survivors and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. The meta-analysis of research conducted with children of survivors is the first to include both published and unpublished research. Meta-analytic techniques such as meta-regression and sub-set meta-analyses provided new information regarding the influence of a number of unmeasured demographic variables on the psychological health of Holocaust survivors and descendants. Based on the results of the meta-analyses it was concluded that Holocaust survivors and their children and grandchildren suffer from a statistically significantly higher level or greater severity of psychological symptoms than the general population. However it was also concluded that there is statistically significant variation in psychological health within the Holocaust survivor and descendant populations. Demographic variables which may explain a substantial amount of this variation have been largely under-assessed in the literature and so an empirical study was needed to clarify the role of demographics in determining survivor and descendant mental health. A total of 124 participants took part in the empirical study conducted for this thesis with 27 Holocaust survivors, 69 children of survivors and 28 grandchildren of survivors. A worldwide recruitment process was used to obtain these participants. Among the demographic variables assessed in the empirical study, aspects of the survivors’ Holocaust trauma (namely the exact nature of their Holocaust experiences, the extent of family bereavement and their country of origin) were found to be particularly potent predictors of not only their own psychological health but continue to be strongly influential in determining the psychological health of their descendants. Further highlighting the continuing influence of the Holocaust was the finding that number of Holocaust affected ancestors was the strongest demographic predictor of grandchild of survivor psychological health. Apart from demographic variables, the current thesis considered family environment dimensions which have been hypothesised to play a role in the transmission of the traumatic impact of the Holocaust from survivors to their descendants. Within the empirical study, parent-child attachment was found to be a key determinant in the transmission of Holocaust trauma from survivors to their children and insecure parent-child attachment continues to reverberate through the generations. In addition, survivors’ communication about the Holocaust and their Holocaust experiences to their children was found to be more influential than general communication within the family. Ten case studies (derived from the empirical study data set) are also provided; five Holocaust survivors, three children of survivors and two grandchildren of survivors. These cases add further to the picture of heterogeneity of the survivor and descendant populations in both experiences and adaptations. It is concluded that the legacy of the Holocaust continues to leave its mark on both its direct survivors and their descendants. Even two generations removed, the direct and indirect effects of the Holocaust have yet to be completely nullified. Research with Holocaust survivor families serves to highlight the differential impacts of state-based trauma and the ways in which its effects continue to be felt for generations. The revised and empirically tested Model of the Differential Impact of Holocaust Trauma across Three Generations presented at the conclusion of this thesis represents a further clarification of existing trauma theories as well as the first attempt at determining the relative importance of both cognitive, interpersonal/interfamilial interaction processes and demographic variables in post-trauma psychological health and transmission of traumatic impact.

The role of social skills and school connectedness in preadolescent depressive symptoms

In the current study, we tested whether school connectedness mediates more distal deficits in social skills in influencing depressive symptoms in a sample of 127 sixth- and seventh-grade students. Results demonstrated that school connectedness and social skills accounted for 44% and 26% of variance in depressive symptoms respectively and 49% in a combined model. Although the full mediation model hypothesis was not supported, follow-up analyses revealed that school connectedness partially mediated the link between social skills and preadolescent depressive symptoms. Thus, school connectedness appears to play as strong a role in depressive symptoms in this younger preadolescent age group.

Motivational interviewing

Co-existing mental health and drug and alcohol problems occur frequently in primary care and clinical settings. Despite this, health professionals rarely receive training in how to detect, assess and formulate interventions for co-existing problems and few clinical guidelines exist. This Handbook provides an exciting and highly useful addition to this area. Leading clinicians from the UK, the US and Australia provide practical descriptions of assessments and interventions for co-existing problems. These will enable professionals working with co-existing problems to understand best practice and ensure that people with co-existing problems receive optimal treatment. A range of overarching approaches are covered, including: • working within a cognitive behavioural framework; • provision of consultation-liaison services, training and supervision; • individual, group and family interventions; and • working with rurally isolated populations. The contributors also provide detailed descriptions of assessments and treatments for a range of disorders when accompanied by drug and alcohol problems, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and learning difficulties. The Clinical Handbook of Co-existing Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Problems will enhance clinicians’ confidence in working with people with co-existing problems. It will prove a valuable resource for all psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, social workers and all those working in both primary and secondary care health settings.

Investigation into travel of transit oriented development : school students’ travel survey of Kelvin Grove Urban Village

Travel surveys were conducted for collecting data related to school students’ travel at Kelvin Grove Urban Village (KGUV). Currently, KGUV has school students studying at grade 10 to 12. As a part of data collection process, travel surveys were undertaken for school students studying. This document contains the questionnaire form used to collect the demographic and travel data related to school students at KGUV. The surveys forms were hand delivered to the school and the responses were collected back via reply paid envelop provided with the questionnaire form.

Parents as coteachers of science and technology in a middle-school classroom

This study explores coteaching/cogenerative dialoguing with parents to investigate how it may be employed to engage parents more meaningfully in schools. The cogens provided a space where participants became aware of resources available for coteaching, made decisions about planning and enacting coteaching, as well as interstitial culture that facilitated positive parent-teacher relationships.

Concurrent and prospective associations between physical activity, walking and mental health in older women

Background Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) shows promise for reducing the risk of poor mental health in later life, although gender- and age-specific research is required to clarify this association. This study examined the concurrent and prospective relationships between both LTPA and walking with mental health in older women. Methods Community-dwelling women aged 73–78 years completed mailed surveys in 1999, 2002 and 2005 for the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Respondents reported their weekly minutes of walking, moderate LTPA and vigorous LTPA. Mental health was defined as the number of depression and anxiety symptoms, as assessed with the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS). Multivariable linear mixed models, adjusted for socio-demographic and health-related variables, were used to examine associations between five levels of LTPA (none, very low, low, intermediate and high) and GADS scores. For women who reported walking as their only LTPA, associations between walking and GADS scores were also examined. Women who reported depression or anxiety in 1999 were excluded, resulting in data from 6653 women being included in these analyses. Results Inverse dose–response associations were observed between both LTPA and walking with GADS scores in concurrent and prospective models (p<0.001). Even low levels of LTPA and walking were associated with lowered scores. The lowest scores were observed in women reporting high levels of LTPA or walking. Conclusion The results support an inverse dose–response association between both LTPA and walking with mental health, over 3 years in older women without depression or anxiety.