The construct validity of the work-related flow inventory in a sample of Australian workers

The purpose of this study was to examine the construct validity of the WOrk-reLated Flow inventory (WOLF; Bakker, 2008). This instrument was administered to 711 men and women who were working in Queensland, Australia. The results from the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the WOLF has moderately acceptable construct validity, with the three-factor model being a borderline fit to the data. Tests of the convergent validity of the WOLF yielded satisfactory results. However, the analysis of the discriminant validity of the WOLF showed that the instrument poorly discriminated between work enjoyment and intrinsic work motivation. Follow-up exploratory factor analysis, using recommended procedures for determining the number of factors to extract, revealed a two-factor solution, with the work enjoyment and intrinsic work motivation items loading on the same factor. Drawing on literature on psychological flow and motivation, as well as the findings of the present study, questions are raised over the adequacy of the conceptual basis of the three-factor model of work-related flow, the discriminant validity of the WOLF subscales, and the appropriateness of the wording of several of this measure's items. Using alternative methods and measures to investigate flow in work settings is recommended.

International perspectives on psychosocial working conditions, mental health, and stress of dairy farm operators

Dairy farm operators-farmers, workers, and family members-are faced with many demands and stressors in their daily work and these appear to be shared across countries and cultures. Dairy operators experience high psychosocial demands with respect to a hard work and production ethos, economic influences, and social and environmental responsibility. Furthermore, both traditional and industrial farms are highly dependent on external conditions, such as weather, fluctuating markets, and regulations from government authorities. Possible external stressors include disease outbreaks, taxes related to dairy production, and recent negative societal attitudes to farming in general. Dairy farm operators may have very few or no opportunities to influence and control these external conditions, demands, and expectations. High work demands and expectations coupled with low control and lack of social support can lead to a poor psychosocial work environment, with increased stress levels, ill mental health, depression, and, in the worst cases, suicide. Internationally, farmers with ill mental health have different health service options depending on their location. Regardless of location, it is initially the responsibility of the individual farmer and farm family to handle mental health and stress, which can be of short- or long-term duration. This paper reviews the literature on the topics of psychosocial working conditions, mental health, stress, depression, and suicide among dairy farm operators, farm workers, and farm family members in an international perspective.

Building healthcare workers' confidence to work with same-sex parented families.

This article reports on a qualitative study of barriers and access to healthcare for same-sex attracted parents and their children. Focus groups were held with same-sex attracted parents to explore their experiences with healthcare providers and identify barriers and facilitators to access. Parents reported experiencing uncomfortable or anxiety-provoking encounters with healthcare workers who struggled to adopt inclusive or appropriate language to engage their family. Parents valued healthcare workers who were able to be open and honest and comfortably ask questions about their relationships and family. A separate set of focus groups were held with mainstream healthcare workers to identity their experiences and concerns about delivering equitable and quality care for same-sex parented families. Healthcare workers reported lacking confidence to actively engage with same-sex attracted parents and their children. This lack of confidence related to workers' unfamiliarity with same-sex parents, or lesbian, gay and bisexual culture, and limited opportunities to gain information or training in this area. Workers were seeking training and resources that offered information about appropriate language and terminology as well as concrete strategies for engaging with same-sex parented families. For instance, workers suggested they would find it useful to have a set of 'door opening' questions they could utilize to ask clients about their sexuality, relationship status or family make-up. This article outlines a set of guidelines for healthcare providers for working with same-sex parented families which was a key outcome of this study.

Teeth Tales: a community-based child oral health promotion trial with migrant families in Australia

OBJECTIVES: The Teeth Tales trial aimed to establish a model for child oral health promotion for culturally diverse communities in Australia. DESIGN: An exploratory trial implementing a community-based child oral health promotion intervention for Australian families from migrant backgrounds. Mixed method, longitudinal evaluation. SETTING: The intervention was based in Moreland, a culturally diverse locality in Melbourne, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Families with 1-4-year-old children, self-identified as being from Iraqi, Lebanese or Pakistani backgrounds residing in Melbourne. Participants residing close to the intervention site were allocated to intervention. INTERVENTION: The intervention was conducted over 5 months and comprised community oral health education sessions led by peer educators and follow-up health messages. OUTCOME MEASURES: This paper reports on the intervention impacts, process evaluation and descriptive analysis of health, knowledge and behavioural changes 18 months after baseline data collection. RESULTS: Significant differences in the Debris Index (OR=0.44 (0.22 to 0.88)) and the Modified Gingival Index (OR=0.34 (0.19 to 0.61)) indicated increased tooth brushing and/or improved toothbrushing technique in the intervention group. An increased proportion of intervention parents, compared to those in the comparison group reported that they had been shown how to brush their child's teeth (OR=2.65 (1.49 to 4.69)). Process evaluation results highlighted the problems with recruitment and retention of the study sample (275 complete case families). The child dental screening encouraged involvement in the study, as did linking attendance with other community/cultural activities. CONCLUSIONS: The Teeth Tales intervention was promising in terms of improving oral hygiene and parent knowledge of tooth brushing technique. Adaptations to delivery of the intervention are required to increase uptake and likely impact. A future cluster randomised controlled trial would provide strongest evidence of effectiveness if appropriate to the community, cultural and economic context. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12611000532909).

Exploring child dental service use among migrant families in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia

Abstract Background This study describes and explores factors related to dental service use among migrant children. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from Teeth Tales, an exploratory trial implementing a community based child oral health promotion intervention. The sample size and target population was 600 families with 1-4 year old children from Iraqi, Lebanese and Pakistani backgrounds residing in metropolitan Melbourne. Participants were recruited into the study using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Results Most (88%; 550/625) children had never visited the dentist (mean (SD) age 3.06 years (1.11)). In the fully adjusted model the variable most significantly associated with child dental visiting was parent reported 'no reason for child to visit the dentist' (OR = 0.07, p < 0.001). Of those children whose parents reported their child had no reason to visit the dentist, 22% (37/165) experienced dental caries with 8% (13/165) at the level of cavitation. Conclusions Dental service use by migrant preschool children was very low. The relationship between perceived dental need and dental service use is currently not aligned. One in 10 children of select migrant background had visited a dentist, which is in the context of 1 in 3 with dental caries. To improve utilization, health services should consider organizational cultural competence, outreach and increased engagement with the migrant community.

The development of a conceptual model and self-reported measure of occupational health and safety vulnerability

Injuries at work have a substantial economic and societal burden. Often groups of labour market participants, such as young workers, recent immigrants or temporary workers are labelled as being "vulnerable" to work injury. However, defining groups in this way does little to enable a better understanding of the broader factors that place workers at increased risk of injury. In this paper we describe the development of a new measure of occupational health and safety (OH&S) vulnerability. The purpose of this measure was to allow the identification of workers at increased risk of injury, and to enable the monitoring and surveillance of OH&S vulnerability in the labour market. The development included a systematic literature search, and conducting focus groups with a variety of stakeholder groups, to generate a pool of potential items, followed by a series of steps to reduce these items to a more manageable pool. The final measure is 29-item instrument that captures information on four related, but distinct dimensions, thought to be associated with increased risk of injury. These dimensions are: hazard exposure; occupational health and safety policies and procedures; OH&S awareness; and empowerment to participate in injury prevention. In a large sample of employees in Ontario and British Columbia the final measure displayed minimal missing responses, reasonably good distributions across response categories, and strong factorial validity. This new measure of OH&S vulnerability can identify workers who are at risk of injury and provide information on the dimensions of work that may increase this risk. This measurement could be undertaken at one point in time to compare vulnerability across groups, or be undertaken at multiple time points to examine changes in dimensions of OH&S vulnerability, for example, in response to a primary prevention intervention.

Migrant mobilities: cruel optimism and the case of AJ D’Cruz

Migrants are mobile by definition. They literally uproot themselves and move to sometimes-distant lands for a variety of reasons. Some move away from real or imagined threats to their very existence. Others seek a better quality of life. And some adventurous souls are inhabited by a restless wanderlust – a desire to roll the dice and see what happens. Such mobility requires fortitude and faith. Migrants move through space and, if they have an aspirational disposition, they attempt to accumulate symbolic capital to move up those social and economic hierarchies that bestow status and prestige within their adopted homes. The migrant journey to Australia often ends with the realisation that one has to make and re-make one’s identity, and perform a series of adjustments – adjustments in terms of comportment, dress, accent and disposition. My father was a migrant to Australia. More specifically, he was an Anglo-Indian migrant – a member of the ‘mixed-race’ community produced by British colonialism. He left India for the UK in 1962 and, after living in London for 10 years or so, immigrated to Australia in 1973, dragging his immediate family with him. Lured to the so-called ‘lucky country’ by the optimistic prospect of building wealth and prosperity under the Southern Cross, his ambitions were thwarted by casual and institutional racism. He died prematurely at the age of 53. This multi-media presentation tells his story through a series of encounters with the historical archive and the material remnants of my father’s relatively short life (letters, photographs, sound recordings, 8mm films). It provides a singular account of the performance practices involved in becoming a ‘New Australian’. Combining personal anecdotes and philosophical ruminations on history, technology, and cultural identity, the performance interrogates and performs a series of migrant mobilities.

Place-based initiatives to tackle mature-age workers’ long-term unemployment in Australia, drawing on successful Nordic precedents

In order to tackle unemployment for the at-risk group of mature-age workers displaced by industry sector restructuring, exemplary place-based initiatives are needed focusing on a selected area of high disadvantage identified by Professor Tony Vinson’s 2015 Jesuit Social Services report Dropping off the Edge, with an Australian state government committed to supporting the initiative, as that report recommends. In order to make such a place-based initiative exemplary in its outcomes, so that it leads to uptake in other areas of high disadvantage, it needs to be thoroughly informed by successful Nordic precedents. In particular, the new Australian place-based initiative needs to be informed by Danish regionally-focused large-scale job skills programs involving transition into a proximate sector of employment growth; and by Norwegian measures for more even population distribution outside capital cities or in particular hard-hit regions within capital cities. An advantage of the proposed initiative is that it will also produce measurable results for children in families in which neither parent works, whose needs are normally tackled (if at all) by separate policy actions in separate tiers or departments of government. Australian children are disproportionately disadvantaged by the internationally extreme concentration of joblessness. Denmark’s Løntilskud and Virksomhedspraktik job training programs subsidised by municipalities and the national government, and supported by Danish trade unions, will be discussed in this paper for the positive effects they have for participants, including establishing or re-establishing unemployed people’s structured work habits and routines, improving their networks along with their social skills, and boosting their confidence. This paper will outline in detail the types of features the proposed new Australian place-based initiative will require, drawing on and drilling down further into data and analysis presented in the author’s recent book: Northern Lights: The Positive Policy Example of Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway.

Contact & connect-an intervention to reduce depression stigma and symptoms in construction workers: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Males employed in the construction industry have high rates of suicide. Although reasons underpinning this risk are multifaceted, poor help-seeking and stigma are represent major contributors. Males in the construction industry are also exposed to other risk factors for mental ill health and suicide, including unemployment. Sigma-reducing interventions that are accessible and attractive to recently unemployed males in the construction industry could therefore improve help-seeking, and address depression and suicidal behaviour in this population. METHODS/DESIGN: Contact&Connect will use a parallel individual randomized design to evaluate the effectiveness of a multimedia-based intervention aimed at reducing stigma. The intervention consists of a package of 12 brief contact interventions (BCIs) delivered over a six month period. BCIs will direct participants to informational programs and microsites. Content will address three major themes: debunking depression myths and stereotypes, normalisation, and empowerment. Target enrolment is 630 (315 in each arm), each to be followed for 12 months. Eligible participants will be males, between 30 and 64 years, unemployed at the time of recruitment, registered with Incolink (a social welfare trustee company for unemployed members of the construction industry), and own a smart phone with enabled internet connectivity. DISCUSSION: At present, there are no programs that have been shown to be effective in reducing stigma in the blue-collar male population. Contact&Connect promises to provide a tailored, efficient, and scalable approach to reducing stigma, depressive symptoms and suicidality among unemployed males. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Register ACTRN12615000792527  (date of registration: 30 July, 2015).

Practices of active citizenship among migrant youth: beyond conventionalities

© 2015 Taylor & Francis This paper discusses the empirical manifestations of the notion of active citizenship in the context of the experiences of migrant youth. It focuses on the practices of active citizenship through involvement in social networks and creative civic engagement. In doing so, the article examines the complex and multi-faceted nature of social networking among migrant youth and the extent to which their approach to engagement is dependent on the specificities of the local environment, the type of social issues involved, and the cultural norms of one's own cultural heritage. Key empirical insights are derived from quantitative and qualitative research conducted among migrant youth of African, Arabic-speaking and Pacific Island backgrounds in Australia. These empirical insights are used to examine the changing perceptions of active citizenship among migrant youth, and the possibilities offered through non-traditional networks to engender civic engagement and social participation.

Organizational factors related to the confidence of workers in working with residents with dementia or depression in aged care facilities

OBJECTIVES: There has been limited research examining how organizational factors are associated with the level of confidence of residential aged care staff in managing both residents' depression and the behavioural and psychological symptoms of residents with dementia (BPSD). This study investigated this issue. METHOD: A cross-sectional study design was employed. In total, 255 aged care staff (131 senior staff, 124 junior staff) from 21 residential care facilities participated in the study. All staff completed measures of self-efficacy in managing BPSD as well as confidence in working with older people with depression. They also completed measures of organizational climate (autonomy, cohesion, trust, pressure, support, recognition, fairness and encouragement of innovation) and measures of workplace experience (job role, number of years working in aged care facilities), job stress and satisfaction, and knowledge of depression. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that autonomy, trust, support, and job stress were associated with confidence in managing BPSD, while the factors related to confidence in managing depression were autonomy, support, job stress, job satisfaction, and knowledge of depression. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight that organizational climate factors need to be addressed in order to increase staff confidence in managing BPSD and depression. In particular, the findings demonstrate the importance of fostering organizational environments in which autonomy is promoted and there is support and cooperation among aged care staff. Attention to these factors is likely to increase the confidence of staff as they carry out their carer role.

Addressing migration-related social and health inequalities in Australia: call for research funding priorities to recognise the needs of migrant populations

Objective Migrants constitute 26% of the total Australian population and, although disproportionately affected by chronic diseases, they are under-represented in health research. The aim of the present study was to describe trends in Australian Research Council (ARC)- and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)-funded initiatives from 2002 to 2011 with a key focus on migration-related research funding.Methods Data on all NHMRC- and ARC-funded initiatives between 2002 and 2011 were collected from the research funding statistics and national competitive grants program data systems, respectively. The research funding expenditures within these two schemes were categorised into two major groups: (1) people focused (migrant-related and mainstream-related); and (2) basic science focused. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data and report the trends in NHMRC and ARC funding over the 10-year period.Results Over 10 years, the ARC funded 15 354 initiatives worth A$5.5 billion, with 897 (5.8%) people-focused projects funded, worth A$254.4 million. Migrant-related research constituted 7.8% of all people-focused research. The NHMRC funded 12 399 initiatives worth A$5.6 billion, with 447 (3.6%) people-focused projects funded, worth A$207.2 million. Migrant-related research accounted for 6.2% of all people-focused initiatives.Conclusions Although migrant groups are disproportionately affected by social and health inequalities, the findings of the present study show that migrant-related research is inadequately funded compared with mainstream-related research. Unless equitable research funding is achieved, it will be impossible to build a strong evidence base for planning effective measures to reduce these inequalities among migrants.What is known about the topic? Immigration is on the rise in most developing countries, including Australia, and most migrants come from low- and middle-income countries. In Australia, migrants constitute 26% of the total Australian population and include refugee and asylum seeker population groups. Migrants are disproportionately affected by disease, yet they have been found to be under-represented in health research and public health interventions.What does this paper add? This paper highlights the disproportions in research funding for research among migrants. Despite migrants being disproportionately affected by disease burden, research into their health conditions and risk factors is grossly underfunded compared with the mainstream population.What are the implications for practitioners? Migrants represent a significant proportion of the Australian population and hence are capable of incurring high costs to the Australian health system. There are two major implications for practitioners. First, the migrant population is constantly growing, therefore integrating the needs of migrants into the development of health policy is important in ensuring equity across health service delivery and utilisation in Australia. Second, the health needs of migrants will only be uncovered when a clear picture of their true health status and other determinants of health, such as psychological, economic, social and cultural, are identified through empirical research studies. Unless equitable research funding is achieved, it will be impossible to build a strong evidence base for planning effective measures to reduce health and social inequalities among migrant communities.