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Little research has investigated professional identity in Australian clinical psychology postgraduate students. The current study examined potential predictors of professional identity for these students. Anonymous, self-report cross-sectional surveys for Australian postgraduate clinical psychology students were distributed via online survey links sent by their institution's Program Director. Respondents reported professional identity, motivation, engagement, satisfaction with program, resilience, burnout, demographics, and enrolment type. Data from 77 respondents were analysed. Students reported an average 4.25/5 for sense of professional identity as a psychologist. Age, work experience, and stage of program were not associated with professional identity. In multivariate analyses, higher student satisfaction, lower burnout, and lower engagement with "student" aspects of postgraduate study were associated with stronger professional identity. Levels of professional identity were relatively high and showed little influence of demographic variables. However, there is likely to be a reciprocal relationship between satisfaction with postgraduate study and professional identity for students, which would need to be evaluated in a different design to understand directions of association. Results also suggest that supporting postgraduate students in self-care and helping students to balance professional responsibilities and academic aspects of study are likely to assist in fostering postgraduates' professional identity. What is already known about this topic: Professional identity provides a sense of self in relation to membership of a specific profession. Students in health and social services professions, including psychology, have demonstrated emerging professional identities in their areas of study. In working professionals, professional identity has been found to be important for wellbeing and for relationships with colleagues and clients. What this paper adds: Professional identity amongst a sample of Australian postgraduate students in clinical psychology was independent of demographic variables such as age, gender, and previous work experience. Stronger professional identity in the current sample correlated with higher satisfaction with the program of study and lower level of burnout. In multivariate analysis, higher satisfaction with the program of study, lower burnout, and lower engagement with "academic" aspects of the program each independently predicted higher level of professional identity. From these cross-sectional findings, potential causal associations between predictors and professional identity remain to be clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this study was to explore the preferred acculturation strategies adopted by Indian subcontinental adolescents living in Australia. The study also examined the demographic, ethnocultural, and psychological factors that could influence subcontinental migrant groups' attitudes towards acculturation and their acculturation strategies. Method A cross-sectional design was used in which the dependent variables were the four acculturation strategies. Multivariate data analysis was conducted. Pearson's correlation, analysis of variance, and step-wise multiple regression analyses were performed to establish the relationships among the study variables. Results Integration was the most preferred strategy and marginalisation was the least preferred strategy for all ethnic groups. Acculturation preferences are predicted partly by the adolescents' ethnicity, their ethnic identity, friendship choices, acculturative stress, sense of mastery (self-concept) and gender. The findings provide significant information on the acculturation practices of Indian subcontinental adolescents, including their ethnic identity search and commitment, their psychological well-being and their integration strategies. Conclusions Educational institutions could benefit from increased awareness of the needs of these culturally diverse groups, especially if this information is incorporated into teacher training materials. The inclusion of intercultural relations courses in the academic curriculum would promote harmonious relations between culturally diverse ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian population is experiencing a rapid ageing of the population, and as such, an increased need for gerontological practitioners in the helping professions will continue to grow. Terror management theory ( TMT), which was used to frame this study, posits that because of the fact that humans are aware of their own mortality, they are compelled to avoid the anxiety associated with it. Personal ageing and interaction with older adults may be reminders of the unavoidable decline and death that faces us all. The purpose of this study is to examine comfort in spending time with older adults amongst students, academic teaching staff, and practitioners in the fields of psychology and social work. We sought to determine if TMT helped predict fear of being with older adults. Ageism, contact with older adults, and known demographic factors associated with attitudes towards older adults were also examined. Hierarchical multiple regression explained nearly 46% of the variance in comfort with older adults and indicated that fear of ageing, positive ageism, negative ageism, contact with older adults, and sex were significant predictors. Educational efforts aimed at addressing beliefs about ageing and older adults may contribute to further comfort in working with older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine occurrence of romantic relationships and relationship break-ups among young adults in Hong Kong and Australia and to explore associations between relationship style, identity status, negative affect, cultural group, and relationship experiences. Data were collected from Chinese tertiary students in Hong Kong ( n = 279) and Anglo-Australian tertiary students in Melbourne, Australia ( n = 204). Participants completed a questionnaire including demographics, romantic relationship items, the Love Schemas Scale measuring romantic relationship style, the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Secure relationship style and more mature identity statuses were associated with having had a romantic relationship. Among those young people with romantic relationship experience, break-ups were less common for those with a foreclosed identity status, skittish (avoidant) relationship style, and Hong Kong Chinese background. Negative mood was higher among those for whom a break-up had been recent. Hurt experienced following a break-up was greater when the break-up was partner initiated and among those with less secure relationship styles and identity statuses. Overall, individual factors were stronger predictors of relationship status than cultural factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]