Search

Background and Purpose: Stroke can have a devastating impact on the mental and physical health of stroke survivors and their carers. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel psychosocial intervention designed to improve health outcomes in both groups. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a personalized psychosocial intervention (eight 1-hour weekly sessions plus one booster) compared to usual care for adult stroke survivors and carers. Participants recruited from hospital services and community referrals completed questionnaires at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Primary outcomes were quality of life and self-efficacy; secondary outcomes were depressive and anxiety symptoms, coping, illness perception, work and social adjustment, carer strain, and carer satisfaction. Mixed-effect model repeated measures analysis between groups and across time was conducted. Results: Of the 173 participants recruited (89 stroke survivors; 84 carers), a total of 137 participants – 73 stroke survivors (intervention n = 42; usual care n = 31) and 64 carers (intervention n = 35; usual care n = 29) – underwent analysis up to 12 months. No statistically significant differences were found in the primary outcomes between groups over time, though a significant improvement in carer satisfaction was found at 6 months in the intervention group compared to the usual care group. Conclusion: A personalized psychosocial intervention resulted in a significant improvement in carer satisfaction at 6 months but in no other outcomes. A lack of available services and barriers to social engagement may have impeded the effectiveness of this intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study on the disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) was used to assess the national prevalence of all 22 DGBI, the percentage of respondents meeting diagnostic criteria for at least one DGBI, and the rates of comorbid anxiety, depression, and somatization in Australia and 25 other countries., Methods: The survey was conducted in Australia and 25 other countries through the Internet and included the Rome IV Diagnostic Questionnaire and an in-depth supplemental questionnaire., Key Results: Two thousand thirty-six Australian adults completed the survey nationwide: mean age 47.34 ± 17.00 years, 50.15% males. Overall, 38.67% of Australians met criteria for at least one DGBI, with unspecified functional bowel disorder (8.01%) and then functional constipation (7.71%) being the most prevalent. For those Australians with at least one DGBI, rates of anxiety, depression, and somatization where high (26.58%, 28.96%, and 63.10%, respectively), with functional chest pain having the highest rates of anxiety (55.00%) and depression (57.50%), and irritable bowel syndrome (mixed) having the highest somatization rate (75.86%). The odds of having a DGBI increased with greater anxiety (OR: 1.09, CI 95%: 0.97, 1.23), depression (OR: 1.17, CI 95%: 1.04, 1.32), and somatization (OR: 1.17, CI 95%: 1.14, 1.20) symptom severity., Conclusions and Inferences: The current study represents the most comprehensive epidemiological exploration of DGBI and mental health in Australia to date, including their prevalence and distributions across sex and age, associations between DGBI and anxiety, depression, and somatization. The findings warrants future comparisons between population characteristics and health care systems differences in order to reduce the burden of DGBI and mental illness worldwide., (© 2023 The Authors. Neurogastroenterology & Motility published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Conservation areas are critical for biodiversity conservation, but few citizen science studies have evaluated their efficiency. In the absence of thorough survey data, this study assessed which species benefit most from conservation areas using citizen science bird counts extracted from the Atlas of Living Australia. This was accomplished by fitting temporal models using citizen science data taken from ALA for the years 2010-2019 using the INLA approach. The trends for six resident shorebird species were compared to those for the Australian Pied Oystercatcher, with the Black-fronted Dotterel, Red-capped Dotterel, and Red-kneed Dotterel exhibiting significantly steeper increasing trends. For the Black-fronted Dotterel, Masked Lapwing, and Red-kneed Dotterel, steeper rising trends were recorded in conservation areas than in other locations. The Dotterel species' conservation status is extremely favourable. This study demonstrates that, with some limits, statistical models can be used to track the persistence of resident shorebirds and to investigate the factors affecting these data., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Diabetes has a significant negative impact on mental health and quality of life (QoL). Underpinned by the Common Sense Model (CSM) the mediating role of coping patterns, self-efficacy, anxiety and depression symptoms on the relationship between illness perceptions and QoL in patients diagnosed with diabetes was evaluated. A total of 115 participants with diabetes (56, Type 1; 59, Type 2), 51% female and an average age of 52.69 (SD = 15.89) in Australia completed self-report measures of illness perceptions and psychological wellbeing. Baseline measures included illness perceptions, coping styles, psychological distress (anxiety and depression symptoms), self-efficacy, and quality of life. Mediating relationships were measured using structural equation modelling. A model of good fit was identified explaining 51% of the variation in QoL. Illness perceptions directly influenced QoL, maladaptive coping, self-efficacy, and anxiety symptoms. The relationship between illness perceptions and QoL was partially mediated by anxiety; illness perceptions and depression was fully mediated by maladaptive coping and self-efficacy; and self-efficacy and QoL was partially mediated by depressive symptoms. Findings provide validation of the CSM in a diabetes cohort. Psychological interventions likely to have the most benefit on psychological distress and QoL are those targeting mediating psychological processes, including maladaptive coping and self-efficacy.