Building a national image : the architecture of John Smith Murdoch, Australia's first Commonwealth Government architect

Presents John Smith Murdoch and examines his significant contribution as an architect and public servant in Australia between 1885 and 1929. Murdoch's greatest achievement was the development of his modern Renaissance idiom of which Provisional Parliament House, Canberra is the finest example.

Passing the banner : the Australian media’s coverage of high profile court cases about women

An examination of the historical narrative patterns of gendered justice in Australian media representations of high profile court cases. Includes discussion of the Chamberlain Case, the Dianne Brimble cruise ship death case, and the Jill Meagher rape and murder

Culture and sex education : the acquisition of sexual knowledge for a group of Vietnamese Australian young women

This paper explores how a group of Vietnamese Australian young women acquire knowledge of sexual issues, and the impact the traditional Vietnamese culture has on the acquisition of this knowledge. It is based on a qualitative study that examined the factors which shape the sexual behaviour of Vietnamese Australian young women living in Australia. A Grounded Theory methodology was employed in this investigation, and involved in-depth interviews with 15 Vietnamese Australian young women aged 18-25 years, who reside in Victoria, Australia. The findings illustrated three key elements involved in the acquisition of knowledge of sexual issues: 'Accepting parental silence', 'Exploring sources of knowledge' and 'Needing culturally targeted information'. The young women desired discussion about sexual issues but accepted that cultural 'barriers' were formidable. Their desire conflicted with the traditional familial norm of 'silence' regarding sexual matters. Consequently, knowledge was sought outside the home, specifically from peers and the media. The importance of culturally appropriate and adequate sexual discussions for Vietnamese Australian young people was stressed, so that informed decisions could be made about their sexual lives. It is imperative for young people to have adequate and appropriate sexual education so that informed and safe sexual choices can be made. For young people from diverse cultural backgrounds, this education must be culturally appropriate and accessible, taking into consideration cultural mores regarding gender and sexual matters, as well as current beliefs in the 'mainstream' youth culture.

Depressive symptoms during pregnancy: Exploring the role of sitting

Statement of problem: Studies exploring relationships between sitting and mental health have been conducted in child and adult, but not pregnant populations. Depression during pregnancy is associated with deleterious outcomes for mothers and children, and shortcomings have been identified in current management strategies. Modifiable lifestyle behaviors may provide more acceptable alternatives to current management strategies if shown to be important. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between sitting behavior and depressive symptoms in a population of pregnant Australian women. Methods: This pilot cross-sectional study included 81 pregnant women in Brisbane, Australia. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Sitting behavior was measured using the Australian Women's Activity Survey (AWAS). Several potential covariates were also assessed. Linear regression analyses were used to explore the relationship between sitting and depressive symptoms, whilst controlling for known covariates. Results: The model investigating “total sitting time” showed no association with depressive symptoms (F = .77, p = 0.38). The model investigating “planned leisure sitting time” was statistically significant (F = 4.42, p = 0.04): significant contributors to the model variance were HADS anxiety score (p = 0.003) and number of existing children (p = 0.02). “Planned leisure sitting time” showed a statistical trend toward significance (p = 0.06). Conclusions: This study suggests further investigation of the relationship between sitting, particularly planned leisure sitting, and depression during pregnancy is warranted. Future research should include a larger sample and an objective measure of leisure time sitting.

Exploring the influences of country-level factors on mid-age women’s drink driving attitudes

Drink driving remains a major cause of serious and fatal car crashes in Australia and internationally. While this problem is more prevalent among male drivers, the rates of female intoxicated drivers have increased steadily over the past decades in many motorised countries. A combination of police enforcement, media awareness campaigns, and community initiatives has played a key role in reducing incidents of illegal drink driving by targeting public drink driving attitudes. However, important cultural differences in regards to the tolerance towards drink driving have been noted. While many countries, including Australia, have a legal Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit of .05 or higher, some countries have moved towards a zero –or low tolerance approach to drink driving; several European countries, including Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, and Estonia currently enforce .00 or .02 BAC limits.

Missionary heroines in eastern lands : woman's work in mission fields / by E.R. Pitman.

http://www.archive.org/details/missionaryheroin00pitmuoft

Predictors of hysterectomy as a treatment for menstrual symptoms

Background: Hysterectomy is a common procedure in Australia; approximately 1 in 5 Australian women undergoing a hysterectomy by the age of 50 for indications such as fibroids, disorders of menstruation (including excessive or irregular menstrual bleeding), and endometriosis. However, little is known about the characteristics of women who have had the procedure or the predictors of hysterectomy as a treatment for menstrual problems. This study of 687 middle-aged Australian women suffering from menstrual symptoms aimed to identify the common health and demographic characteristics that were likely to lead to hysterectomy for the treatment of these problems.

Methods: A cross-sectional and a prospective cohort study were undertaken as a substudy of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (Women's Health Australia). Women from the mid-aged cohort of the Women's Health Australia study who identified having menstrual problems (n = 715) in the 1996 and 1998 surveys or who had undergone a hysterectomy (n = 218) during that time were recruited. A self-administered instrument was mailed to the 933 women in 2000. Data were analyzed using backward logistic regression to identify the characteristics that increased the likelihood of women undergoing hysterectomy for the treatment of menstrual problems.

Results: Factors that increased the likelihood of hysterectomy as a treatment for menstrual problems were varied. They included the number of menstrual symptoms experienced (odds ratio [OR], 1.63; p < .005) or conditions diagnosed (such as fibroids or excessive menstrual bleeding; OR, 2.5; p < .0005), a perception that information was available about menstrual problems (OR, 1.16; p < .001), being influenced in the decision making process to elect a treatment option (OR, 1.25; p < .025), and dissatisfaction with the other treatments tried before hysterectomy (OR, 0.63; p < .0005).

Conclusions: Hysterectomy seem to be the treatment of choice for women experiencing a number of menstrual problems and less than satisfactory outcomes with other treatment options. Importantly, women appear to be making decisions based on the perception of sufficient information available about their menstrual problems, regardless of whether or not this was actually the case. Women are being influenced in their decision-making process to undergo a hysterectomy by health professionals, such as general practitioners and gynecologists.

Putting woman-centered care into practice : a new (ANEW) approach to psychosocial risk assessment during pregnancy

Background: When antenatal care is provided, identification and management of challenging problems, such as depression, domestic violence, child abuse, and substance abuse, are absent from traditional midwifery and medical training. The main objective of this project was to provide an alternative to psychosocial risk screening in pregnancy by offering a training program (ANEW) in advanced communication skills and common psychosocial issues to midwives and doctors, with the aim of improving identification and support of women with psychosocial issues in pregnancy.

Methods: ANEW used a before‐and‐after survey design to evaluate the effects of a 6‐month educational intervention for health professionals. The setting for the project was the Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne, Australia. Surveys covered issues, such as perceived competency and comfort in dealing with specific psychosocial issues, self‐rated communication skills, and open‐ended questions about participants' experience of the educational program.

Results: Educational program participants (n = 22/27) completed both surveys. After the educational intervention, participants were more likely to ask directly about domestic violence (p = 0.05), past sexual abuse (p = 0.05), and concerns about caring for the baby (p = 0.03). They were less likely to report that psychosocial issues made them feel overwhelmed (p = 0.01), and they reported significant gains in knowledge of psychosocial issues, and competence in dealing with them. Participants were highly positive about the experience of participating in the program.

Conclusions:The program increased the self‐reported comfort and competency of health professionals to identify and care for women with psychosocial issues.

Portrait of Albert Tucker, 1914-1960

[No Abstract]