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To investigate determinants of willingness to adopt telerehabilitation, willingness of technology use, core affect regarding using telerehabilitation, and digital competencies in rehabilitation professionals in Austria and Germany before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional paper-based and online survey was conducted before and during COVID-19, respectively, with three cohorts of rehabilitation professionals. Outcomes were the willingness to adopt telerehabilitation evaluated using the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology; willingness of technology use using the short scale for assessing the willingness of technology use; digital competencies and core affect using the Digital Competence Framework and semantic differential, respectively. Multivariate ordinal regression analysis was performed to determine predictors. Included were 603 rehabilitation professionals. Analysis revealed differences between Austria and Germany and before and during the pandemic for most outcomes. German residency, the pandemic, and a higher educational level were most important predictors of higher willingness to adopt telerehabilitation, willingness of technology use, digital competencies, and positive core affect. The pandemic increased most aspects of willingness to adopt telerehabilitation, willingness of technology use, digital competencies, and positive core affect. Results confirm that rehabilitation professionals with higher degrees are more prone to adopt innovations in healthcare.Registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00021464) The willingness to adopt telerehabilitation is associated with external factors increasing the need for alternative rehabilitation delivery, such as COVID-19, and with financial facilitators, such as reimbursement. As the willingness to adopt telerehabilitation is higher among speech and language therapists and dietitians, efforts are necessary to enhance its use in physiotherapists and occupational therapists. As a higher willingness to adopt telerehabilitation was observed in younger rehabilitation professionals and those with higher education, increasing the importance of telerehabilitation in education curricula and further knowledge transfer into practice for those already working in the field seems necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of dementia is increasing with more healthcare workers being required to care for people living with this progressive neurological disorder. The knowledge level and attitude of healthcare workers caring for those living with dementia need to be assessed and resources targeted effectively to ensure best quality care is provided. Healthcare workers for the purpose of this paper include anyone employed to care for those living with dementia. Aim: To investigate the attitudes of healthcare workers towards people living with dementia. Methods: A survey of 110 healthcare workers was undertaken between October 2016 and December 2017, using the Dementia Attitude Scale to measure attitudes towards people living with dementia. Demographic data were collected by a survey to explore whether a person's age; cultural background; qualification level; or experience level had an impact on their attitude towards people living with dementia. Results: The full survey was completed by n = 85 healthcare workers with the majority having strongly positive views about people living with dementia, with an average score of 88.31/100. However, a large number reported being afraid of people living with dementia (n = 76, 89.4%) and would avoid people with dementia who were agitated (n = 51, 61.4%). While 100% (n = 85) agreed or strongly agreed that it was possible to enjoy interacting with people living with dementia, they were more ambivalent with n = 26 (31.6%) strongly agreeing with the statement that working with people living with dementia is rewarding. A significant difference in attitude was found using one-way analysis of variance within groups due to age (p <.000) and cultural background (p <.035). Conclusions: Healthcare workers within this study had mainly positive attitudes towards people with dementia as demonstrated by the high attitude scores. However, this paper has shown that healthcare workers may require further education to improve attitude and care towards those living with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets out to explore the Australian instance of a significant international problem: Intergenerational solidarity and the willingness of younger generations to support the future care of older people. It draws on Bengston's intergenerational solidarity theory, in particular his conception of normative solidarity relative to filial obligations, to analyse data from the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes. This data demonstrates evidence of intergenerational solidarity at the policy level and a need for a continued role for government in the provision of residential care, insurance schemes, and the payment of income to full time and occasional carers. At the family level there is less support for the role of adult children in the payment of formal care or the provision of informal care. There is also a significant difference between men and women concerning the direct provision of informal care to ageing parents. Suggestions for future research are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to identify groups of cardiac patients who share similar perceptions about their illness and to examine the relationships between these schemata and psychosocial outcomes such as quality of life and depression. A total of 190 cardiac patients with diagnoses of myocardial infarction, stable angina pectoris or chronic heart failure, completed a battery of psychosocial questionnaires within four weeks of their admission to hospital. These included the Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (BIPQ), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI II) and The MacNew Health-related Quality of Life instrument (MacNew). BIPQ items were subjected to latent class analysis (LCA) and the resulting groups were compared according to their BDI II and MacNew scores. LCA identified a five-class model of illness perception which comprised the following: (1) Consequence focused and mild emotional impact, n = 55, 29%; (2) Low illness perceptions and low emotional impact, n = 45, 24%; (3) Control focused and mild emotional impact, n = 10, 5%; (4) Consequence focused and high emotional impact, n = 60, 32%; and (5) Consequence focused and severe emotional impact, n = 20, 10%. Gender and diagnosis did not appear to reflect class membership except that class 2 had a significantly higher proportion of AMI patients than did class 5. There were numerous significant differences between classes in regards to depression and health-related quality of life. Notably, classes 4 and 5 are distinguished by relatively high BDI II scores and low MacNew scores. Identifying classes of cardiac patients based on their illness perception schemata, in hospital or shortly afterwards, may identify those at risk of developing depressive symptoms and poor quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns have been raised about an 'infodemic', with information and misinformation being spread across multiple channels and mediums. Information consumption has also been associated with increased anxiety throughout the pandemic. Thus, the present study investigates the mediating role of state anxiety on the relationship between information consumption (defined as mean frequency of information consumption multiplied by number of information sources) and COVID-19 protective behaviours. We compare results across Australian and United States samples and account for personal risk perception and belief in misinformation about COVID-19. Cross-sectional data collected between 28 and 30 April 2020 were analysed using Bayesian structural equation modelling among participants from Australia (N = 201), and the United States (N = 306). State anxiety scores were above the conventional clinical cut-off. Information consumption was positively associated with state anxiety, personal risk perception, and COVID-19 protective behaviours in the Australian and the United States samples. Additionally, the relationship between information consumption and COVID-19 protective behaviours was positively mediated by state anxiety in both nations, suggesting some functional benefits of anxiety. Differences in risk perception and belief in misinformation existed between the Australian and United States sample. Findings provide support for current guidance from organisations such as the WHO, APA, and APS on limiting information consumption to reduce anxiety. To effectively communicate critical public health messaging while minimising potential burdens on mental health, there is a need to develop and test interventions that assist people in calibrating the extent and nature of their information consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the most prevalent causes and consequences of maladaptive parent-adolescent conflict from the perspectives of Australian psychologists and other family clinicians. We also queried whether these professionals have observed events or times that exacerbate parent-adolescent conflict. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from one hundred and thirty-seven clinicians working in Australia with parents and adolescents. Data were collected via an author-developed, online survey and frequencies were reported. Daily issues of family life (e.g., chores) and relationship readjustment were reported as the most prevalent themes causing parent-adolescent conflict, with problems at school reported as a theme resulting from conflict. Mental health issues in parents and adolescents were reported to (a) be common causes of conflict and (b) worsen after conflict. Trauma and domestic and family violence were identified as additional causes not well represented in existing research. Respondents reported Christmas as a time when conflict was exacerbated. Increased awareness amongst clinicians of the likelihood of encountering these issues in their work with families will support competent risk assessment, crisis management and service delivery. Implications of findings for future research on parent-adolescent conflict during specific years of adolescence, training of clinicians and risk management in clinical practice are discussed. KEY POINTS What is already known on this topic: Conflict with parents increases during the adolescent years. Parent-adolescent conflict can be caused by a wide range of factors, and have a range of adaptive and maladaptive consequences. Parents and adolescents experiencing maladaptive conflicts often seek support from family clinicians. What this topic adds: A current exploration of the causes and consequences of parent-adolescent conflict that are most prevalent. The perspectives of the family clinicians who support conflicted parents and adolescents, but have been underrepresented in existing research. Inform early-career clinicians who support families of the most prevalent factors they may encounter in their work, improving risk assessment and crisis management following a conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A range of barriers that impede collaborations between consumer researchers and other researchers have been identified, despite clear acknowledgement of the benefits of this approach in the literature. Recent research has questioned whether the costs of collaborative research outweigh the benefits. The overarching aim of the current study is to better understand non-consumer researchers' attitudes to, and issues concerning, engagement with consumer researchers. Non-consumer researchers from mental health disciplines were invited to participate in the cross-sectional Consumers as Researchers in Mental Health survey, and to respond to open-ended questions about their experiences of collaborative research with consumer researchers. The findings demonstrate a range of benefits associated with collaborations with consumer researchers – including increased relevance and credibility of research, and greater translation of research findings into changes in health policy, service, research and education. Collaborations were found to be varied and not limited by research design, decision-making styles, or research topic. Understanding these benefits within the context of identified barriers can make an important contribution to the proliferation of mental health consumer researcher roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapidly expanding Australian home care workforce represents an untapped resource for improving health literacy (HL) and health outcomes of their clients. Nine home care workers (HCWs) were interviewed for this study to gain data around their experiences of providing HL support to their clients, key HL needs and priorities, and training that would best these needs. Findings indicate that HCWs are providing HL support, and identify a number of enablers and barriers to providing this support. Core inclusions for a HL training checklist are suggested. Implications for future research are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People with aphasia (PWA) and their families (PWA-F) have conveyed that the receipt of information and education is a key component of rehabilitation which supports access to services and participation in healthcare decision-making. Best practice recommendations state that education about aphasia should be tailored, aphasia-friendly, and provided on multiple occasions and in a variety of formats. To date, there has been little research examining the current practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the provision of education or their perspectives on barriers and facilitators to achieving optimal aphasia education practices. Aims: The aim of this study was to explore current and optimal aphasia education practices from the perspective of Australian SLPs. Methods and Procedures: This study used a cross-sectional survey design, comprising both quantitative and qualitative questions. An online survey was distributed to Australian SLPs via professional networks. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data using content analysis. Outcomes and Results: This study reports data from 130 Australian SLPs. The majority of SLPs (>70%) reported that they provided information to both PWA and PWA-F about (1) the definition of aphasia, (2) characteristics of aphasia, (3) causes of aphasia, (4) aphasia recovery, (5) strategies to assist communication, and (6) coping strategies. However, the majority of SLPs reported that they did not provide information to friends on any of the presented topics. Many SLPs (>95%) provided both face-to-face and written aphasia information, and approximately half (55%) provided aphasia education that could be accessed via the Internet. All but one SLP reported using pre-prepared written information and less than half (45%) considered those materials to be formatted in an aphasia-friendly way. The majority of SLPs (65%) reported that they did not have a systematic approach to providing aphasia education, they (82%) did not evaluate the effectiveness of aphasia education, and they (92%) did not provide optimal aphasia education. SLPs reported that greater access to aphasia-friendly formatted information (94%) and written information for family members (92%) would assist in optimising aphasia education. Furthermore, 82% of SLPs indicated that they would support an Australia-wide move to use the term aphasia, rather than dysphasia. Conclusions: The majority of SLPs reported providing information to PWA and PWA-F in a variety of formats; however, information provision did not commonly extend to friends. Increased tailoring of information and access to aphasia-friendly information would assist SLPs in meeting best practice recommendations for aphasia education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations are more likely to misuse alcohol and other drugs (AOD), compared to the general population. However, LGBT engagement with AOD treatment is often precluded by insensitivity and misunderstanding of LGBT issues. These treatment barriers may be a consequence of either worker attitudes, organizational factors or a combination of both. Few studies have compared service context as an impediment to AOD treatment. Objectives: This pilot study sought to examine and compare staff attitudes, knowledge and awareness of LGBT issues in two state-wide AOD services within Australia. One organization was a government service, whilst the other was faith based. Methods: A cross-sectional study of a convenience sample (N = 130) of workers employed in a state-wide government AOD service (n = 65), and a state-wide non-government service (n = 65) was conducted. Participants self-completed a questionnaire comprising tools previously used to assess staff attitudes, knowledge and awareness of LGBT issues. Results: Few significant differences in attitudes and awareness of LGBT issues between government and non-government respondents were found. Nearly all respondents were supportive of LGBT persons irrespective of organizational context, with a small number of negative views. Although most respondents demonstrated awareness of organizational policies and practices relating to LGBT clients, many were "unsure" or "neutral" of what these might be. Conclusion: It is confirming that the majority of staff report supportive attitudes towards LGBT clients. Findings suggest that organizations need to continue to take leadership to strengthen organizational training and capacity to deliver LGBT friendly AOD treatment practices. [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]

Outward appearance is one of the means by which age is determined, and fear of looking old may stem from fears about social identity and death. This study explored how social identity theory and terror management theory may help to explain the dread of looking old. University students from the United States, England, and Australia (N = 1,042) completed a questionnaire regarding their attitudes about aging and older adults. Results indicated that sex, age, beliefs about personal aging, and death anxiety explained 30.4% of the variance for participants’ dread of looking old. Theoretical hypotheses were supported by our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

Patient aggression occurs in old age psychiatry and is problematic. The aim of this study is to identify the factors that influence clinicians' attitudes toward aggression in old age psychiatry. Eighty-five individuals, comprising nurses ( n = 75) and medical and allied health staff ( n = 10), completed the questionnaire. The results show that gender, profession, and work experience do not affect attitudes toward aggression. A low score indicated agreement with an attitudinal statement. However, younger age, better higher level of completed education, and place of work increased the likelihood of participants endorsing the questionnaire's attitudinal statements about aggression. The findings suggest clinicians' attitudes may affect the way they attempt to prevent and manage aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial abuse by a family member is the most common form of abuse experienced by older Australians, and early intervention is required. National online surveys of 228 chief executive officers and 214 aged care service providers found that, while they were well placed to recognize financial abuse, it was often difficult to intervene successfully. Problems providers encountered included difficulties in detecting abuse, the need for consent before they could take action, the risk that the abusive family member would withdraw the client from the service, and a lack of resources to deal with the complexities inherent in situations of financial abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]