Community knowledge and beliefs about ADHD

Accurate knowledge and positive attitudes within the community are important for the effective diagnosis, treatment and support of people with ADHD. Most previous research about knowledge and attitudes has focused only on professional groups and parents of children with ADHD. The aim of this study was to explore knowledge about ADHD characteristics and causes, and attitudes towards issues such as medication in the general population. Six hundred and forty-five members of the Australian community, all of whom were parents, completed a questionnaire. The findings showed that the core features of ADHD were well-known, but there were misconceptions and considerable uncertainty about many aspects. Most respondents failed to recognise the genetic basis of the disorder and its potentially lifelong nature. Fathers were less knowledgeable than mothers. Although most participants believed that ADHD is a genuine disorder and recognised the benefits of medication, the majority believed that it is diagnosed too frequently and that medication is prescribed too readily. The study concluded that, in many respects, the public is not well-informed about ADHD and suggested that the media may have an important role in enhancing community awareness of the disorder through responsible, sensitive and accurate reporting.

Predicting effects of monotony on driver’s vigilance

Monotony has been identified as a contributing factor to road crashes. Drivers’ ability to react to unpredictable events deteriorates when exposed to highly predictable and uneventful driving tasks, such as driving on Australian rural roads, many of which are monotonous by nature. Highway design in particular attempts to reduce the driver’s task to a merely lane-keeping one. Such a task provides little stimulation and is monotonous, thus affecting the driver’s attention which is no longer directed towards the road. Inattention contributes to crashes, especially for professional drivers. Monotony has been studied mainly from the endogenous perspective (for instance through sleep deprivation) without taking into account the influence of the task itself (repetitiveness) or the surrounding environment. The aim and novelty of this thesis is to develop a methodology (mathematical framework) able to predict driver lapses of vigilance under monotonous environments in real time, using endogenous and exogenous data collected from the driver, the vehicle and the environment. Existing approaches have tended to neglect the specificity of task monotony, leaving the question of the existence of a “monotonous state” unanswered. Furthermore the issue of detecting vigilance decrement before it occurs (predictions) has not been investigated in the literature, let alone in real time. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary to explain how vigilance evolves in monotonous conditions. Such an approach needs to draw on psychology, physiology, road safety, computer science and mathematics. The systemic approach proposed in this study is unique with its predictive dimension and allows us to define, in real time, the impacts of monotony on the driver’s ability to drive. Such methodology is based on mathematical models integrating data available in vehicles to the vigilance state of the driver during a monotonous driving task in various environments. The model integrates different data measuring driver’s endogenous and exogenous factors (related to the driver, the vehicle and the surrounding environment). Electroencephalography (EEG) is used to measure driver vigilance since it has been shown to be the most reliable and real time methodology to assess vigilance level. There are a variety of mathematical models suitable to provide a framework for predictions however, to find the most accurate model, a collection of mathematical models were trained in this thesis and the most reliable was found. The methodology developed in this research is first applied to a theoretically sound measure of sustained attention called Sustained Attention Response to Task (SART) as adapted by Michael (2010), Michael and Meuter (2006, 2007). This experiment induced impairments due to monotony during a vigilance task. Analyses performed in this thesis confirm and extend findings from Michael (2010) that monotony leads to an important vigilance impairment independent of fatigue. This thesis is also the first to show that monotony changes the dynamics of vigilance evolution and tends to create a “monotonous state” characterised by reduced vigilance. Personality traits such as being a low sensation seeker can mitigate this vigilance decrement. It is also evident that lapses in vigilance can be predicted accurately with Bayesian modelling and Neural Networks. This framework was then applied to the driving task by designing a simulated monotonous driving task. The design of such task requires multidisciplinary knowledge and involved psychologist Rebecca Michael. Monotony was varied through both the road design and the road environment variables. This experiment demonstrated that road monotony can lead to driving impairment. Particularly monotonous road scenery was shown to have the most impact compared to monotonous road design. Next, this study identified a variety of surrogate measures that are correlated with vigilance levels obtained from the EEG. Such vigilance states can be predicted with these surrogate measures. This means that vigilance decrement can be detected in a car without the use of an EEG device. Amongst the different mathematical models tested in this thesis, only Neural Networks predicted the vigilance levels accurately. The results of both these experiments provide valuable information about the methodology to predict vigilance decrement. Such an issue is quite complex and requires modelling that can adapt to highly inter-individual differences. Only Neural Networks proved accurate in both studies, suggesting that these models are the most likely to be accurate when used on real roads or for further research on vigilance modelling. This research provides a better understanding of the driving task under monotonous conditions. Results demonstrate that mathematical modelling can be used to determine the driver’s vigilance state when driving using surrogate measures identified during this study. This research has opened up avenues for future research and could result in the development of an in-vehicle device predicting driver vigilance decrement. Such a device could contribute to a reduction in crashes and therefore improve road safety.

Substance use disorders

Basic competencies in assessing and treating substance use disorders should be core to the training of any clinical psychologist, because of the high frequency of risky or problematic substance use in the community, and its high co-occurrence with other problems. Skills in establishing trust and a therapeutic alliance are particularly important in addiction, given the stigma and potential for legal sanctions that surround it. The knowledge and skills of all clinical practitioners should be sufficient to allow valid screening and diagnosis of substance use disorders, accurate estimation of consumption and a basic functional analysis. Practitioners should also be able to undertake brief interventions including motivational interviews, and appropriately apply generic interventions such as problem solving or goal setting to addiction. Furthermore, clinical psychologists should have an understanding of the nature, evidence base and indications for biochemical assays, pharmacotherapies and other medical treatments, and ways these can be integrated with psychological practice. Specialists in addiction should have more sophisticated competencies in each of these areas. They need to have a detailed understating of current addiction theories and basic and applied research, be able to undertake and report on a detailed psychological assessment, and display expert competence in addiction treatment. These skills should include an ability to assess and manage complex or co-occurring problems, to adapt interventions to the needs of different groups, and to assist people who have not responded to basic treatments. They should also be able to provide consultation to others, undertake evaluations of their practice, and monitor and evaluate emerging research data in the field.

Assessing cognitive development in early childhood : a comparison of the Bayley-III and the Stanford-Binet fifth edition

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) and Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition (SB5) were administered in a sample of 26 typically developing children (12 males and 14 females) aged 24 – 42 months. Children completed the assessments in two separate sessions, counterbalanced for order of administration. Scores on the two instruments were not significantly related, with the exception of the SB5 Knowledge score, which was moderately correlated with the Language score on the Bayley-III (r = .41, p = 0.04). Despite no other significant correlations, for 22 of the 26 children, scores were very consistent across the two instruments. Implications for test selection are discussed.

A comparison of the 27-item and 12-item intolerance of uncertainty scales

The 27-item Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS) has become one of the most frequently used measure of Intolerance of Uncertainty. More recently, an abridged, 12-item version of the IUS has been developed. The current research used clinical (n = 50) and non-clinical (n = 56) samples to examine and compare the psychometric properties of both versions of the IUS. The two scales showed good internal consistency at both the total and subscale level and had satisfactory test-retest reliability. Both versions were correlated with worry and trait anxiety and had satisfactory concurrent validity. Significant differences between the scores of the clinical and non-clinical sample supported discriminant validity. Predictive validity was also supported for the two scales. Total scores, in the case of the clinical sample, and a subscale, in the case of the non-clinical sample, significantly predicted pathological worry and trait anxiety. Overall, the clinicians and researchers can use either version of the IUS with confidence, due to their sound psychometric properties.

Unpacking Japan's 21st century "National Conversation" : images of the future beyond the iron cage of the "Catch Up" model

How does the image of the future operate upon history, and upon national and individual identities? To what extent are possible futures colonized by the image? What are the un-said futurecratic discourses that underlie the image of the future? Such questions inspired the examination of Japan’s futures images in this thesis. The theoretical point of departure for this examination is Polak’s (1973) seminal research into the theory of the ‘image of the future’ and seven contemporary Japanese texts which offer various alternative images for Japan’s futures, selected as representative of a ‘national conversation’ about the futures of that nation. These seven images of the future are: 1. Report of the Prime Minister’s Commission on Japan’s Goals in the 21st Century—The Frontier Within: Individual Empowerment and Better Governance in the New Millennium, compiled by a committee headed by Japan’s preeminent Jungian psychologist Kawai Hayao (1928-2007); 2. Slow Is Beautiful—a publication by Tsuji Shinichi, in which he re-images Japan as a culture represented by the metaphor of the sloth, concerned with slow and quality-oriented livingry as a preferred image of the future to Japan’s current post-bubble cult of speed and economic efficiency; 3. MuRatopia is an image of the future in the form of a microcosmic prototype community and on-going project based on the historically significant island of Awaji, and established by Japanese economist and futures thinker Yamaguchi Kaoru; 4. F.U.C.K, I Love Japan, by author Tanja Yujiro provides this seven text image of the future line-up with a youth oriented sub-culture perspective on that nation’s futures; 5. IMAGINATION / CREATION—a compilation of round table discussions about Japan’s futures seen from the point of view of Japan’s creative vanguard; 6. Visionary People in a Visionless Country: 21 Earth Connecting Human Stories is a collection of twenty one essays compiled by Denmark born Tokyo resident Peter David Pedersen; and, 7. EXODUS to the Land of Hope, authored by Murakami Ryu, one of Japan’s most prolific and influential writers, this novel suggests a future scenario portraying a massive exodus of Japan’s youth, who, literate with state-of-the-art information and communication technologies (ICTs) move en masse to Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido to launch a cyber-revolution from the peripheries. The thesis employs a Futures Triangle Analysis (FTA) as the macro organizing framework and as such examines both pushes of the present and weights from the past before moving to focus on the pulls to the future represented by the seven texts mentioned above. Inayatullah’s (1999) Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) is the analytical framework used in examining the texts. Poststructuralist concepts derived primarily from the work of Michel Foucault are a particular (but not exclusive) reference point for the analytical approach it encompasses. The research questions which reflect the triangulated analytic matrix are: 1. What are the pushes—in terms of current trends—that are affecting Japan’s futures? 2. What are the historical and cultural weights that influence Japan’s futures? 3. What are the emerging transformative Japanese images of the future discourses, as embodied in actual texts, and what potential do they offer for transformative change in Japan? Research questions one and two are discussed in Chapter five and research question three is discussed in Chapter six. The first two research questions should be considered preliminary. The weights outlined in Chapter five indicate that the forces working against change in Japan are formidable, structurally deep-rooted, wide-spread, and under-recognized as change-adverse. Findings and analyses of the push dimension reveal strong forces towards a potentially very different type of Japan. However it is the seven contemporary Japanese images of the future, from which there is hope for transformative potential, which form the analytical heart of the thesis. In analyzing these texts the thesis establishes the richness of Japan’s images of the future and, as such, demonstrates the robustness of Japan’s stance vis-à-vis the problem of a perceived map-less and model-less future for Japan. Frontier is a useful image of the future, whose hybrid textuality, consisting of government, business, academia, and creative minority perspectives, demonstrates the earnestness of Japan’s leaders in favour of the creation of innovative futures for that nation. Slow is powerful in its aim to reconceptualize Japan’s philosophies of temporality, and build a new kind of nation founded on the principles of a human-oriented and expanded vision of economy based around the core metaphor of slowness culture. However its viability in Japan, with its post-Meiji historical pushes to an increasingly speed-obsessed social construction of reality, could render it impotent. MuRatopia is compelling in its creative hybridity indicative of an advanced IT society, set in a modern day utopian space based upon principles of a high communicative social paradigm, and sustainability. IMAGINATION / CREATION is less the plan than the platform for a new discussion on Japan’s transformation from an econo-centric social framework to a new Creative Age. It accords with emerging discourses from the Creative Industries, which would re-conceive of Japan as a leading maker of meaning, rather than as the so-called guzu, a term referred to in the book meaning ‘laggard’. In total, Love Japan is still the most idiosyncratic of all the images of the future discussed. Its communication style, which appeals to Japan’s youth cohort, establishes it as a potentially formidable change agent in a competitive market of futures images. Visionary People is a compelling image for its revolutionary and subversive stance against Japan’s vision-less political leadership, showing that it is the people, not the futures-making elite or aristocracy who must take the lead and create a new vanguard for the nation. Finally, Murakami’s Exodus cannot be ruled out as a compelling image of the future. Sharing the appeal of Tanja’s Love Japan to an increasingly disenfranchised youth, Exodus portrays a near-term future that is achievable in the here and now, by Japan’s teenagers, using information and communications technologies (ICTs) to subvert leadership, and create utopianist communities based on alternative social principles. The principal contribution from this investigation in terms of theory belongs to that of developing the Japanese image of the future. In this respect, the literature reviews represent a significant compilation, specifically about Japanese futures thinking, the Japanese image of the future, and the Japanese utopia. Though not exhaustive, this compilation will hopefully serve as a useful starting point for future research, not only for the Japanese image of the future, but also for all image of the future research. Many of the sources are in Japanese and their English summations are an added reason to respect this achievement. Secondly, the seven images of the future analysed in Chapter six represent the first time that Japanese image of the future texts have been systematically organized and analysed. Their translation from Japanese to English can be claimed as a significant secondary contribution. What is more, they have been analysed according to current futures methodologies that reveal a layeredness, depth, and overall richness existing in Japanese futures images. Revealing this image-richness has been one of the most significant findings of this investigation, suggesting that there is fertile research to be found from this still under-explored field, whose implications go beyond domestic Japanese concerns, and may offer fertile material for futures thinkers and researchers, Japanologists, social planners, and policy makers.

The link between belongingness and depressive symptoms: An exploration in the workplace interpersonal context

Interpersonal factors are crucial to a deepened understanding of depression. Belongingness, also referred to as connectedness, has been established as a strong risk/protective factor for depressive symptoms. To elucidate this link it may be beneficial to investigate the relative importance of specific psychosocial contexts as belongingness foci. Here we investigate the construct of workplace belongingness. Employees at a disability services organisation (N = 125) completed measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, workplace belongingness and organisational commitment. Psychometric analyses, including Horn's parallel analyses, indicate that workplace belongingness is a unitary, robust and measurable construct. Correlational data indicate a substantial relationship with depressive symptoms (r = −.54) and anxiety symptoms (r = −.39). The difference between these correlations was statistically significant, supporting the particular importance of belongingness cognitions to the etiology of depression. Multiple regression analyses support the hypothesis that workplace belongingness mediates the relationship between affective organisational commitment and depressive symptoms. It is likely that workplaces have the potential to foster environments that are intrinsically less depressogenic by facilitating workplace belongingness. From a clinical perspective, cognitions regarding the workplace psychosocial context appear to be highly salient to individual psychological health, and hence warrant substantial attention.

Psychoanalytic perspectives on substance use and antisocial personality disorder

Psychoanalysis and related psychodynamic psychotherapies have historically had a limited engagement with substance use and antisocial personality disorders. This in part reflects an early preoccupation with ‘transference neuroses’ and in part reflects later de-emphasis of diagnosis and focus on therapeutic process. Nonetheless, psychoanalytic perspectives can usefully inform thinking about approaches to treatment of such disorders and there are psychoanalytic constructs that have specific relevance to their treatment. This paper reviews some prominent strands of psychoanalytic thinking as they pertain to the treatment of substance abuse and antisocial personality disorders. It is argued that, while Freudian formulations lead to a primarily pessimistic view of the prospect of treatment of such disorders, both the British object relations and the North American self psychology traditions suggest potentially productive approaches. Finally the limited empirical evidence from brief psychodynamically informed treatments of substance use disorders is reviewed. It is concluded that such treatments are not demonstrably effective but that, since no form of psychotherapy has established high efficacy with substance use disorders, brief psychdynamic therapies are not necessarily of lesser value than other treatments and may have specific value for particular individuals and in particular treatment contexts.

Multicultural training experiences as predictors of psychology students’ cultural competence

The psychologists in the western world, including Australia, are required to be culturally competent due to the cultural diversity of these societies. Previous studies conducted in North America and Europe have found multicultural teaching, clinical experience with culturally diverse clients, and discussion of multicultural counselling issues in supervision to be related to the practitioner’s cultural competency. The present study examined factors contributing to trainee psychologists’ perceived level of cultural competence. It was hypothesised that multicultural teaching, clinical experience and supervision would be related to students’ level of cultural competence. One hundred and twenty seven postgraduate clinical psychology students completed an online survey battery that included demographic information, a social desirability measure, and the Multicultural Mental Health Awareness Scale (Khawaja, Gomez & Turner, 2009). This hypothesis was partially supported. Clinical experience and supervision focusing on multicultural issues were found to be related to participants’ perceived cultural competence, however, multicultural teaching was not. These results provide insight into how universities around Australia can facilitate future psychologists’ competence in working with clients from different cultural backgrounds.

Training clinical psychologists : The current situation and a way forward [Guest Editorial]

In the past, training in clinical psychology in Australia and overseas has been dominated by definitions of input— hours of classes or supervision and of specific components. While prospective practitioners have been required to demonstrate the acquisition of generic competencies, satisfaction of these input driven criteria has been required for both accreditation and registration. Ironically, for a discipline that prides itself on requiring empirical bases for practice and communicating those to students (Calhoun, Moras, Pilkonis, & Rehm, 1998), training criteria have been primarily derived from accepted wisdom, rather than from a sound body of data. The situation has been remarkably like that of a treatment establishing standards of fidelity before its effective components are known—an action our profession has correctly criticised in the past (Herbert & Mueser, 1992).

Predicting psychologists’ intentions to integrate complementary and alternative therapies (CAT) into their practice.

This study assessed the validity of a scale measuring psychologists' attitudes towards complementary and alternative therapies and compared the attitudes of psychologists with a previous sample of psychology students. The scale, derived from existing measures for medical professionals and previously tested on a sample of psychology students, was completed by practising psychologists (N = 122). The data were factor analysed, and three correlated subscales were identified, assessing the perceived importance of knowledge about available therapies, attitudes towards integration with psychological practice, and concerns about associated risks of use. This structure was similar, but not identical, to that found in a previous sample of psychology students; however, psychologists expressed more concern for risks associated with integration and were less likely to hold a positive attitude towards integration. This scale will be useful in gauging changes in psychologists' attitudes towards integrative practice over time.

The resourceful adolescent project : building psychological resilience in adolescents and their parents

"The model of adolescent depression underlying the Resourceful Adolescent Project (RAP) suggests that adolescent depression and suicide result from a combination of some or all of three interrelating factors: (a) deficits in adolescent psychological wellbeing and coping resources; (b) escalating or chronic family conflict; and (c) depressive adolescent thoughts, feelings and behaviour. This overview of the activities of RAP outlines the need for the project, the benefits of early intervention in preventing adolescent depression, and the empirical and theoretical bases of the programs used in the project. The programs for adolescents and for their parents, their efficacy and the future directions of RAP are also discussed." -- from Libraries Australia

Ethical issues in research on adolescent depression and suicidal behaviour

Argues that the codes of ethical conduct of the Australian Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association imply that researchers of adolescent depression and suicidal behavior must plan to intervene to assess risk where a participant in a study indicates an intention to commit suicide. Participants in research of this kind need to be advised of this possibility in advance. The obligation to intervene, and to advise of the possibility of intervention, poses practical and methodological problems for research in this area but does not, it is argued, absolve the researcher of the primary responsibility to contribute to the welfare of the research participant. This obligation exists only when there is indication of harm but not, for instance, in the case of depression without suicidal intent.

Community psychology : panic or panacea

The growing social upheaval and intensifying tensions in South Africa have by their very nature evoked concern and panic among mental health professionals. In an attempt to alleviate the concomittant anxiety and appear to be more responsive to the majority, many psychologists have boarded the community psychology wagon to cross the great divide between the comfortable consultancy room and the masses. In assessing whether community psychology is the appropriate vehicle for crossing the rubicon, we will start with an overview of different models of community psychology focusing on their different conceptualizations of mental illness and how each model sees the role of the psychologist in the context of psycho-social change.

What's in your tool box?

This is a professional practice paper for Psychology practitioners to reflect on their skills and therapeutic practices. A Master- practitioner model or Artizan - apprentice analogy is used to understand the development of a practicing psychologist from his/her "salad days" (when we are green [Shakespeare- Anthony and Cleopatra]) to our Autumn years in the profession.