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A substantial body of research indicates that higher education students from lower social class backgrounds tend to have poorer health than those from higher social class backgrounds. To investigate sleep as a potential mediator of this relationship, online survey responses of students from five large Australian universities, one Irish university and one large Australian technical college were analysed in three studies (Study 1 N = 628; Study 2 N = 376; Study 3 N = 446). The results revealed that sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep disturbances, pre‐sleep worries and sleep schedule variability mediated the relationship between social class and physical and mental health. Sleep remained a significant mediator when controlling for related variables and other mediators. Thus, the findings suggest that sleep partly explains social class differences in health. We discuss the importance of addressing sleep issues among students from lower social class backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationship between sport related metacognitions with state anxiety dimensions, and compared how sporting categories affected these variables, among an online sample of athletes (N = 187). A MANOVA revealed there were significant differences between sporting types in metacognitive beliefs relating to the utility of rumination and arousal, the need to control thoughts, and levels of somatic anxiety. Correlations and multiple regressions showed that that in contrast to the relationships with self‐confidence, cognitive and somatic state anxiety were positively associated with specific dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs, but negatively related to metacognitive processes. Overall, these findings highlight that: (a) athletes might adopt metacognitions to meet the different cognitive demands of sport types; and (b) metacognitions are in part responsible for the occurrence of state anxiety and self‐confidence during competitions. The findings of this study have implications toward how researchers and sports practitioners approach the comprehensive nature of competitive anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physiotherapists report using a range of psychosocial strategies in their practice, yet, barriers to implementation include lack of time, limited knowledge, and minimal training. This research aimed to establish what training physiotherapists have had with regards to psychosocial strategies, why they think they would benefit from more training, what training they want, and delivery preferences. Content analysis of answers to four open‐ended, online survey questions collected from Australian physiotherapists (N = 208) was conducted. Physiotherapists reported having minimal training specific to psychosocial strategies. Physiotherapists reported wanting training in assessment and management of psychosocial issues, and practical application of specific psychosocial strategies. Didactic and interactive training delivered by experts who understand the psychosocial needs of their patients, and the constraints of physiotherapy practice was preferred. These findings suggest that training in psychosocial strategies at the undergraduate level and continued professional development are necessary. Specifically, training in the assessment and management of psychosocial factors, and in referral processes is warranted, and should be applicable and appropriate for rehabilitation settings. Training should be both didactic and interactive as outlined in the proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to determine what physiotherapists perceive are the benefits of using psychosocial strategies in their own practice, and whether perceived barriers extend beyond practitioner and contextual barriers. Methods: Content analysis of two open‐ended questions was conducted. Australian physiotherapists (n = 206) provided written comments. Results: Three key categories of benefits emerged: patient benefits, shared patient and physiotherapist benefits, and physiotherapist benefits. Patient benefits included improved rehabilitation experience, improved patient wellbeing and improvement of psychosocial responses. Specifically, increased patient enjoyment, improved self‐management and improved understanding of the links between their physical and psychological health. Therapeutic alliance appeared as a shared patient and physiotherapist benefit, with specific reference to enhanced partnerships and improved patient‐centred practice. Physiotherapist benefits comprised of improved needs assessment and occupational benefits such as reduced load. Three key categories of physiotherapist barriers, contextual barriers, and patient barriers emerged. Time, knowledge, confidence, lack of expertise, and limited formal training, were the main barriers, specifically a lack of practical training, and for more complex strategies. Physiotherapists acknowledged patient barriers such as patient resistance, lack of understanding, and complex mental health needs. Conclusions: These findings contribute novel information with regard to the benefits and barriers of psychosocial approaches from a physiotherapist perspective. Physiotherapists may benefit from further support in their use of psychosocial approaches, to emphasize the benefits for their own practice. Furthermore, to potentially reduce patient barriers and improve outcomes, patient education concerning a biopsychosocial model of care could be valuable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological strategies are a promising adjunct to pharmacological treatment for symptoms, including depression and anxiety associated with Parkinson's disease. In this study, we investigated perceptions and reported behaviors of occupational therapists regarding the use of psychosocial strategies during their practice with clients with Parkinson's disease. The results of a cross‐sectional online survey (n = 115 occupational therapists) demonstrated that the majority of participants (83%) reported using psychosocial strategies with their clients living with Parkinson's disease, with goal setting the most frequent. Almost all occupational therapists (99.1%) reported that it was moderately to extremely important to have knowledge about psychosocial strategies for practice with clients living with Parkinson's disease, and 96.5% rated it important to be able to offer these strategies in practice with their clients living with Parkinson's disease. The majority (91.3%) felt incorporating psychosocial strategies into their practice was moderately to extremely beneficial, and 93.9% reported that psychosocial strategies have a moderate‐to‐extremely positive effect on Parkinson's disease management outcomes. These findings have important implications for the education and training of occupational therapists working with clients living with Parkinson's disease to help ensure the best possible outcomes for people with Parkinson's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dyslexia is known as a Learning Disability (LD), a reading disability and a neurological disability; yet there is confusion about dyslexia and the associated support required in learning. Challenges are experienced by adult students with dyslexia in both social and organisational contexts. This study explored the life experiences of adult students with dyslexia, in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Colleges in Australia. The shift from a prior negative self‐perception to a current positive social identity in adult students with dyslexia can be developed through key supporting relationships and interactions in educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore malnutrition screening practices by dietitians working with community dwelling older adults in Australia. Methods: A descriptive cross‐sectional online survey of dietitians providing dietetic care to older adults (aged ≥65 years) was conducted in November to December 2014 using a three‐part 25‐item questionnaire with scaled, closed and open‐ended questions. Results: One hundred and thirty‐three community dietitians participated in the survey. Seventy‐seven percent of them reported malnutrition screening was conducted in the workplace and this was highest in government organisations. The majority of dietitians (75%) reported a screening tool was used and the Malnutrition Screening Tool was most commonly used. Independent of level of experience, the majority of dietitians considered malnutrition screening important and agreed with the need for routine screening. Sixty‐six percent of dietitians reported that clients screened and found to be at risk of malnutrition frequently refused nutrition assessment. Conclusion: Reported malnutrition screening practices varied considerably across all organisations and states. Although routine screening for malnutrition risk is recommended, refusal for nutritional assessment after positive screening is common and requires further investigation. It is not clear how the term ‘malnutrition’ is perceived by the elderly and further investigation into their perceptions would be useful, particularly as offer for nutrition care is frequently declined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues Addressed: This study examined the effectiveness of a brief educational intervention in increasing parental knowledge of childhood obesity risk factors and ability to correctly identify their child's weight status.Methods: Eighty parents were randomly allocated to an experimental group given an obesity pamphlet or a control group given a stress management pamphlet. A survey measured parents' knowledge about risk factors, cause and consequences of childhood obesity, and perception of their child's weight.Results: Parents with overweight or obese children increased their understanding of childhood obesity immediately after receiving the intervention, but did not differ significantly on perception of their child's weight.Conclusion: The experimental intervention increased knowledge of health risks associated with childhood obesity in parents of overweight or obese children. Parental perception of their child's weight status did not improve, suggesting that other factors have a role to play. SO WHAT? The obesity pamphlet may be a useful tool in a multifaceted approach targeting childhood obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative research interviewed 22 C-level executives to explore the theoretical constituents of relatedness need satisfaction, suggested by literature as a predictor of individuals' motivation, behavior, and well-being, for the first time in a sample of senior executives. Joint activity, time, continuity, and common concern were identified as components of how senior executives conceptualized relatedness need satisfaction. This novel research investigated relative importance of the theoretical constituents and senior executive participants ranked common concern as the most important constituent indicator of their relatedness need satisfaction. The results are compared to Baumeister and Leary's (1995) seminal conceptualization of relatedness need satisfaction which was based on a meta-analytical approach of nonexecutive sample studies. This research has both applied and theoretical implications. Our new theory of the constituents of relatedness need satisfaction in senior executives further provides an evidence basis for the design of efficacious practical organizational applications, such as raising senior executives' effectiveness through executive development programs focusing on common concern, joint activity, time, and continuity experiences. Our findings also provide a theoretical framework offering direction for future research in the field of senior executive psychology focused on further improving optimal functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postnatal psychological well-being is a complex issue characterized by major changes in physical, social, and emotional health. In response to addressing limitations of previous research this study aimed to: (i) quantify psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress in a large sample of Australian and New Zealand mothers and to compare to Australian norm data; and (ii) identify any significant differences in psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress of the mothers when grouped according to their self-reported exercise incidence. Self-reported short-form version Depression Anxiety Stress Scale data were collected from 3601 Australia and New Zealand mothers with at least one child under the age of 5 years. Results demonstrated that this sample of mothers had significantly poorer psychological well-being than the general Australian population. Furthermore, with the exception of anxiety, psychological well-being of mothers who reported exercising three to four times per week was significantly and meaningfully more positive compared to those mothers that reported not to exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning to university involves a major life change that can have implications for physical and mental health. This study had three objectives: first, assess the mental health and health-behavior participation of Australian university students; second, evaluate clustering of health behaviors; and third, examine how mental health relates to health behaviors. University students ( n = 751) enrolled at an Australian regional university completed an online survey containing the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales and a health-behavior questionnaire. Over one-third of students reported mild or higher mental illness symptoms and most reported engaging in multiple unhealthy behaviors. Furthermore, mental health was associated with unhealthy behaviors. For males, depressive symptoms were associated with skipping breakfast and poor sleep quality. For females, depressive symptoms were associated with skipping breakfast, inadequate vigorous physical activity, and short or long sleep hours. Stress symptoms in females were associated with healthy sleep hours, but poor sleep quality. Future research may consider whether an intervention targeting one or two key health behaviors has utility in improving participation in other health behaviors and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate what factors physiotherapists consider when deciding whether to use psychosocial strategies with their patients and what factors they consider when choosing a specific approach. Methods: Content analysis of two open‐ended questions contained within a cross‐sectional survey was conducted. Australian physiotherapists (N = 201) provided written comments. Results: Textual data were subjected to content analysis. Two key categories emerged: practitioner considerations and patient considerations. Subcategories included physiotherapist factors, practice environment, patient biological factors, patient psychological factors, and patient social factors. When contemplating the use of psychosocial strategies, physiotherapists' responses aligned with a biopsychosocial perspective. The most common consideration overall was patient attitudes. Physiotherapists reflected on which specific psychosocial strategies they perceived were beneficial for a particular patient based on their presentation. Scope of practice was a minor factor in their decision‐making process, as physiotherapists considered their knowledge, confidence, and skill base more frequently. Conclusion: Physiotherapists incorporate a biopsychosocial framework in their assessment of patients with regard to potential use of psychosocial strategies. Physiotherapists displayed language that reflected a developed understanding of psychological and social issues with respect to their patients' presentation. Nonetheless, selection of psychosocial strategies was predominantly based on experience, success with an approach, perceived knowledge, skill, and confidence, as opposed to evidence‐based efficacy of such strategies. These findings have implications for the training of physiotherapists. Desired outcomes are enhancing management of patients based on a biopsychosocial approach and ensuring inclusion of appropriate, relevant, and evidence‐based psychosocial strategies within their accepted scope of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]