Search

The need for a new measure of social-emotional wellbeing for children 6–12 years emerged in our collaboration with schools and community agencies in a disadvantaged region of Brisbane, Australia. Our search for an age-appropriate medium led us to develop Clowning Around, a computer game generating data which was assessed for validity and reliability in Study 1 (N = 3,461), revealing four wellbeing factors with satisfactory properties. The imperative to support autonomous use at scale led to development of the Rumble's Quest user management system and game app, incorporating a slightly modified version of the measure. Reassessment of the factor structure (Study 2: N = 4,333) supported Study 1 results but extended factors to five: School Attachment, Social Wellbeing, Emotional Wellbeing, Family Support, and Behavioral Conformity. The measure exhibits sound convergent and concurrent validity and is a reliable and practical tool for data-guided service planning and evaluation, and for monitoring child wellbeing trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As the natural fire regimes of Canada's Boreal forests have been transformed by dynamic social, economic, ecological and political drivers, wildfires have become a locus of increasingly complex land management decisions. But while, in Canada and elsewhere, social researchers have examined communities at risk of experiencing wildfire, the agencies and practitioners responsible for wildfire management have thus far been underrepresented in empirical inquiry. This article presents a case study of wildfire management in northern Alberta, examining how different forms of knowledge and experiences were incorporated into the creation of a new plan to support decision-making. Findings from interviews and a workshop confirm that 'science' in such applied contexts is not a pure entity. Instead, the objects represented internally and externally as 'scientific' have necessarily been shaped by the values and priorities of the individuals and institutions that have constructed them. Further, this case study revealed social factors that support the maintenance of institutional status quos, such as the commitment to total wildfire suppression policy, despite broad agreement amongst participants about superior alternatives. These findings support the need for further research on wildfire management agencies, and suggest that progress in wildfire management may be limited by mismatched expectations of 'good' policy between stakeholder groups and by practitioners' conceptions of their own institutional identity. Highlights • Wildfire managers are limited by their own institutional identity and conservatism. • Social values underlie managers' use of "scientific-based" knowledge and tools. • Expectations by the designers and the users of wildfire policies may be mismatched. • Wildfire managers feel their access to public engagement opportunities are limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, a body of research has developed examining the academic dishonesty of university and college students. While research has explored academic dishonesty amongst American criminal justice and policing students, no research has specifically focused on investigating the dynamics and correlates of academic dishonesty amongst Australian criminology students. This study drew upon data obtained from a survey of 79 undergraduate criminal justice and policing students studying at an Australian university. Overall, the results suggest that male gender, viewing academic dishonesty as less serious and holding justifications for engaging in this type of behaviour were significant predictors of self-reported academic dishonesty. The findings suggest that more proactive strategies need to be implemented by universities to prevent student involvement in academic dishonesty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The long-term mental and physical health consequences of childhood maltreatment have been well documented. Less known are the longer-term consequences of childhood maltreatment, specifically the extent to which childhood maltreatment predicts adult life success. Objectives: To prospectively assess the extent to which childhood experiences of physical, sexual, emotional abuse and childhood neglect predict life success at 30 years of age. Participants and Setting: Data are from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), a pre-birth cohort study which follows children from conception to 30 years of age. Methods: Details of childhood maltreatment are from two sources; child safety agency notifications (and substantiations) linked to the survey data with self-reports of childhood experiences of maltreatment obtained at the 30-year follow-up using the Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Life success is a 9-item composite measure (alpha = 0.76) obtained at the 30-year follow-up. We use logistic regression models (with control for covariates) to examine the association between overall as well as specific forms of childhood maltreatment on adult life success. We further test these models using different cut-offs and propensity analyses to adjust for loss to follow-up. Results: Childhood maltreatment whether measured by agency report or self-report predicts overall low life success; agency substantiation OR = 1.88(1.14,3.08) & self-report OR = 2.60 (2.10,3.25). Self-report physical abuse, OR = 2.37(1.72,3.28); sexual abuse, OR = 2.85(2.05,3.96); emotional abuse, OR = 2.53(1.85,3.45) and neglect, OR = 2.36(1.83,3.03) all predict higher levels of low life success. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the long-term consequences of childhood maltreatment extend to a wide range of day-to-day circumstances and extend into mid- to later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While some studies have reported that early age of onset of cannabis and amphetamine use predicts a range of adverse outcomes, these findings are rarely adjusted for other predictors of adverse outcomes or subsequent drug use over the adult life course. These studies have not addressed the possibility that it is subsequent rather than early age of onset of drug use that may predict adult life success. Data are from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP). At 21 years, respondents self-reported their use of cannabis and amphetamines and completed the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) on lifetime ever use of cannabis and amphetamines. At 30 years, respondents self-reported their past-year use of cannabis and amphetamines. The outcome measure is a composite measure of life success at the 30-years follow-up. Associations are adjusted for covariates at the 14-year follow-up. Adolescent behavior problems predict drug use at 21 years, drug use and life success at 30 years. The association between early age of onset cannabis use, amphetamine use and cannabis and amphetamine use and adult life success is not statistically significant once adjusted for cannabis and amphetamine use at the 30-year follow-up. Concurrent cannabis use at the 30-year follow-up is strongly related to life success. In a community sample, cannabis as well as cannabis and amphetamine use and/or use disorder in the adolescent period does not appear to predict life success in adulthood for those whose use has ceased prior to 30 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of early life exposures predict child maltreatment. Using data from a 30-year birth cohort study we examine 12 early life course risk factors of four types of self-reported childhood maltreatment recalled at the 30-year follow-up. Of the 7223 children in the sample at birth, 2425 responded to the Child Trauma Questionnaire at the 30-year follow-up. On adjusted analysis being a teenage mother predicts childhood physical and sexual abuse, as well as child neglect. More numerous maternal marital partner changes in the 5 years after the birth predict offspring experiences of emotional abuse, sexual abuse and childhood neglect. Policy responses should focus on the broad social context in which children are reared as the most effective approach to reducing the high level of childhood abuse and neglect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preterm and/or low birthweight (PT/LBW) is predictive of a range of adverse adult outcomes, including lower employment, educational attainment, and mental wellbeing, and higher welfare receipt. Existing studies, however, on PT/LBW and adult psychosocial risks are often limited by low statistical power. Studies also fail to examine potential child or adolescent pathways leading to later adult adversity. Using a life course framework, we examine how adolescent problem behaviors may moderate the association between PT/LBW and a multidimensional measure of life success at age 30 to potentially address these limitations. We analyze 2044 respondents from a Brisbane, Australia cohort followed from birth in1981–1984 through age 30. We examine moderation patterns using obstetric birth outcomes for weight and gestation, measures of problem behaviors from the Child Behavioral Checklist at age 14, and measures of educational attainment and life success at 30 using multivariable normal and ordered logistic regression. Associations between PT/LBW and life success was found to be moderated by adolescent problem behaviors in six scales, including CBCL internalizing, externalizing, and total problems (all p < 0.01). In comparison, associations between LBW and educational attainment illustrate how a single-dimensional measure may yield null results. For PT/LBW, adolescent problem behaviors increase risk of lower life success at age 30. Compared to analysis of singular outcomes, the incorporation of multidimensional measures of adult wellbeing, paired with identification of risk and protective factors for adult life success as children develop over the lifespan, may further advance existing research and interventions for PT/LBW children. • Preterm and/or low birth weight (PT/LBW) predicts lower adult psychosocial outcomes. • Potential underlying chiid/adolescent pathways are largely unstudied in research. • Using a life course framework, we examine if adolescent behaviors may play a role. • Adolescent behaviors moderate PT/LBW and overall life success at age 30. • Results suggest that exploring such potential pathways may benefit future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Puberty is a potentially sensitive period during which the adolescent demonstrates rapid changes in aggressive/delinquent behaviour. Early onset of puberty has been implicated, not only in the earlier occurrence of aggressive/delinquent behaviour, but potentially a continuing higher level of aggression/delinquency. This article examines immediate and longer term gender specific changes in aggressive/delinquent behaviour as these are independently associated with the age of onset of puberty and pubertal stage adjusted for age. Data is derived from the Mater–University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, a prospective prebirth cohort that involves 2,784 respondents who provided information about current pubertal stage (Tanner Score) and the age of onset of puberty, as well as the Achenbach's Youth Self-Report (14-year YSR) and Young Adult Self-Report (21-year YASR). Both males and females had similar increased levels of aggression/delinquency with more advanced pubertal stage at the 14-year follow-up. For females (but not males) early age of onset of puberty was additionally associated with more symptoms of aggression/ delinquency at the 14-year follow-up. For males, by the 21-year follow-up those who had experienced early age of onset of puberty no longer had higher YASR levels of aggression/delinquency. For females, only early and late age of occurrence of puberty were associated with longer term evidence of aggressive/delinquent behaviour. Progression through puberty is associated with increased levels of aggressive/delinquent behaviour for both males and females, and of about a similar magnitude. Female rates of aggressive/delinquent behaviour may have increased over time to match those observed in young males. For females only, there is evidence of a long-term sustained effect of early and late puberty on increased levels of aggressive/delinquent behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May 2016, a wildfire devastated a northern region of Alberta, Canada, resulting in negative consequences on physical and mental stress, social relationships, and overall resilience among Indigenous residents. Research on coping and managing stress following a disaster has failed to incorporate unique characteristics from Indigenous perspectives. Sharing circles were held in urban and rural community settings to capture: (a) Indigenous perspectives of coping, (b) individual and collective strengths that helped Indigenous residents and communities to cope during and after the wildfire, and (c) intergenerational experiences of coping from stress among Indigenous residents. Indigenous residents' experience with coping from the wildfire was shaped by: (a) heightened physical and emotional stress, (b) existing structural inequities, and (c) strong community cohesion and connection to culture. An unexpected outcome of this research was the therapeutic value of the sharing circles for participants to share their experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to express experiences coherently and participate in effective interpersonal communication underlies many facets of human life. Not much is known about the communication abilities of mothers who are incarcerated, but it is well understood that other incarcerated populations have challenges in this domain. Research has demonstrated that communication skills are amenable to change with evidence-based interventions, and these improvements can have positive downstream effects on the individuals and their communication partners. This theoretical paper focuses specifically on incarcerated mothers because of the importance of mother-child relationships to post-release desistance, and the need to stop intergenerational cycles of trauma and problematic behaviors. We take a holistic approach to the issues that surround incarcerated mothers' abilities to participate in and benefit from communication-based intervention programs. Areas for future research are discussed, especially the need to establish a clear profile of the capabilities and limitations of this population with regards to communication. This paper advances a case, and road map, for communication intervention with incarcerated mothers, including considerations for culturally-aware programs. It also addresses the elements of good skills training and how those should be evaluated. • Improved communication has wide-ranging positive downstream effects. • Communication intervention for incarcerated mothers may contribute to desistance. • The communication skills of incarcerated peoples can be strengthened through intervention. • Interventions must be culturally aware, trauma-informed, and evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To describe official adult-onset offenders, investigate their antisocial histories and test hypotheses about their origins. Methods We defined adult-onset offenders among 931 Dunedin Study members followed to age 38, using criminal-court conviction records. Results Official adult-onset offenders were 14% of men, and 32% of convicted men, but accounted for only 15% of convictions. As anticipated by developmental theories emphasizing early-life influences on crime, adult-onset offenders' histories of antisocial behavior spanned back to childhood. Relative to juvenile-offenders, during adolescence they had fewer delinquent peers and were more socially inhibited, which may have protected them from conviction. As anticipated by theories emphasizing the importance of situational influences on offending, adult-onset offenders, relative to non-offenders, during adulthood more often had schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and alcohol-dependence, had weaker social bonds, anticipated fewer informal sanctions, and self-reported more offenses. Contrary to some expectations, adult-onset offenders did not have high IQ or high socioeconomic-status families protecting them from juvenile conviction. Conclusions A tailored theory for adult-onset offenders is unwarranted because few people begin crime de novo as adults. Official adult-onset offenders fall on a continuum of crime and its correlates, between official non-offenders and official juvenile-onset offenders. Existing theories can accommodate adult-onset offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While recent decades have witnessed an increase in the use of illicit drugs in Australia, the extent to which the types of drugs used has changed over a generation of young women has not been documented.Methods: Data are from a prospective birth cohort study. Mothers were recruited in early pregnancy (1981-83) and then they and their child were followed up, with mothers interviewed 27 years (2008-2011), and daughters 30 years (2010-14), after the birth. At these most recent interviews both mothers and daughters were administered the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI III). Comparisons are for mothers and daughters separated by a 25 year period. For this study, we compare levels of lifetime use of a range of illicit drugs and drug use disorders reported by mothers and their daughters (N = 998 mother/daughter pairs) with adjustment for family income, marital status, education and occupation.Results: There has been a generational increase in the use of illicit substances and prevalence of substance use disorders experienced by Australian women. Mothers' use of illicit drugs was generally restricted to cannabis. By contrast the majority of daughters report lifetime use of an illicit drug with cannabis, club drugs and stimulants the most common. Compared to the mothers, daughters used club drugs 50 times, cocaine 19 times and inhalants 20 times more often. Daughters report experiencing 12 times the rate of cocaine use disorders, 9 times the rate of stimulant disorders and 7 times the rate of cannabis use disorders compared to their mothers.Conclusions: Mothers of the current generation of 30 year old Australian women rarely used illicit drugs and few experienced a drug use disorder. The current generation of young women report commonly using one or more illicit drugs with a substantial minority experiencing a drug use disorder. It is unlikely that the use of illicit drugs by young women in Australia will be reversed in the foreseeable future. Government policies and treatment practices need to be calibrated to the reality of the much greater contact with illicit drugs being exhibited by younger women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Gender differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been well documented but rarely for young adults and the extent to which gender related lifestyle differences may contribute to gender differences in CVD risk experienced by young adults have not been reported., Methods and Results: Data are from a long-running cohort study, the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP). We track gender differences in CVD related behaviours at 21 and 30 years (consumption of a Western Diet/Health-Oriented Diet, cigarette smoking, vigorous physical exercise, heavy alcohol consumption). At 30 years we compare males and females for CVD risk, and the extent to which lifestyle behaviours at 21 and 30 years contribute to CVD risk. At both 21 and 30 years of age, males more frequently consume a Western Diet and less often a Health Oriented Diet. By contrast, males are also much more likely to report engaging in vigorous physical activity. On most CVD markers, males exhibit much higher levels of risk than do females at both 21 and 30 years. At 30 years of age males have about five times the odds of being at high risk of CVD. Some lifestyle behaviours contribute to this additional risk., Conclusion: Young adult males much more frequently engage in most CVD related risk behaviours and males have a higher level of CVD risk. Gender differences in CVD risk remain high even after adjustment for CVD lifestyles, though dietary factors independently contribute to CVD risk at 30 years., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Use of tobacco and cannabis is common and has been reported to predict lung function. Less is known about co-use of tobacco and cannabis and their impact on changes in lung function to early adulthood., Research Question: The study examines whether cigarette smoking or cannabis use and co-use are each associated with lung function in a population sample of young adults., Study Design and Methods: Data are from a prospective cohort study of cigarette smoking, cannabis use and co-use at 21 and 30 years of age and lung function (FVC, FEV 1 , FEV 1 /FVC) measured at 30 years. Lung function results are transformed using Global Lung Function Formulae. Subjects are the children of pregnant women who were recruited into the cohort study over the period 1981-3. Respondents were administered a spirometry assessment at 21 and 30 years of age. These respondents completed a smoking and cannabis use questionnaire at 21- and 30-year follow-ups., Results: Cigarette smoking (with or without cannabis use) is associated with reduced airflow. There is no consistent association between cannabis use and measures of lung function. The co-use of tobacco and cannabis appears to entail no additional risk to lung function beyond the risks associated with tobacco use alone., Interpretation: Persistent cigarette smoking is associated with reduced airflow even in young adults. Cannabis use does not appear to be related to lung function even after years of use., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Maternal imprisonment negatively impacts mothers and their children and is likely to have lifelong and intergenerational sequelae. In many jurisdictions nationally and internationally, young children (usually those less than 5 years) can reside with their mothers in prison. However, there is considerable debate regarding the impact of prison environments on incarcerated mothers and their children who are born, and/or raised in prison. Research to date on the pregnancy and mothering experiences of imprisoned mothers and their preferences for care arrangements for their babies and young children is limited., Methods: This study was part of the Transforming Corrections to Transform Lives project, in which workshops were conducted with imprisoned mothers to understand their needs while in custody and post-release, and the kind of supports and system changes that are required to meet those needs. Incarcerated mothers (n = 75) participated in seven workshops conducted across four Queensland prisons. Themes were generated through reflexive thematic analysis., Results: Three themes characterised mothers' experiences of being pregnant and undertaking a mothering role of a young child while in prison. First, for most mothers, imprisonment adds vulnerability and isolation during pregnancy and childbirth. Second, although mothers felt that residing together with their children in prison motivated them to change for a better future, they were concerned about the potential negative impact of the prison environment on the child's development. Lastly, most mothers voiced losing autonomy and agency to practice motherhood independently within custodial settings. Mothers expressed a need for the correctional system to be adapted, so it is better equipped to address the unique and additional needs of mothers with young children., Conclusion: Mothers' experiences indicated that the correctional system and policies, which were predominantly designed for men, do not adequately address the varied and complex needs of pregnant women, mothers, and their young children. Imprisonment of pregnant women and mothers with young children should be the last resort, and they should be provided with holistic, individually tailored support, most preferably in community settings, to address their multiple intersecting needs., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

This study sought to learn how women participated in the recovery process after the Kashmir earthquake of October 2005 in Union Council Langarpura, Azad Kashmir state of Pakistan. Focus-group discussions, semi-structured interviews, and participant observations were conducted with a total of 48 participants. The results revealed that women played various important roles in the reproductive, productive, and community spheres, encompassing, inter alia, normal household responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, and caring for cattle, and non-traditional tasks such as rebuilding the home. In addition, they participated in income-generating activities such as carrying construction materials and water for daily wages, dairy farming, and working in fields and in the education and health sectors. Community endeavours, meanwhile, consisted of search and rescue, caring for the injured, collective cooking and food sharing, and supervising the reconstruction of public structures, including schools, roads, and water supply facilities, and establishing a sewing centre to provide vocational training to local women., (© 2021 The Authors Disasters © 2021 ODI.)

Following the 2016 Horse River Wildfire in northern Alberta, the provincial health authority, the ministry of health, non-profit and charitable organizations, and regional community-based service agencies mobilized to address the growing health and mental health concerns among Indigenous residents and communities through the provision of services and supports. Among the communities and residents that experienced significant devastation and loss were First Nation and Métis residents in the region. Provincial and local funding was allocated to new recovery positions and to support pre-existing health and social programs. The objective of this research was to qualitatively describe the health systems response to the health impacts following the wildfire from the perspective of service providers who were directly responsible for delivering or organizing health and mental wellness services and supports to Indigenous residents. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 Indigenous and 10 non-Indigenous service providers from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a constant comparative analysis method was used to identify themes. Following service provider interviews, a supplemental document review was completed to provide background and context for the qualitative findings from interviews. The document review allowed for a better understanding of the health systems response at a systems level following the wildfire. Triangulation of semi-structured interviews and organization report documents confirmed our findings. The conceptual framework by Mirzoev and Kane for understanding health systems responsiveness guided our data interpretation. Our findings were divided into three themes (1) service provision in response to Indigenous mental health concerns (2) gaps in Indigenous health-related services post-wildfire and (3) adopting a health equity lens in post-disaster recovery. The knowledge gained from this research can help inform future emergency management and assist policy and decision makers with culturally safe and responsive recovery planning. Future recovery and response efforts should consider identifying and addressing underlying health, mental health, and emotional concerns in order to be more effective in assisting with healing for Indigenous communities following a public health emergency such as a wildfire disaster., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Fitzpatrick, Wild, Pritchard, Azimi, McGee, Sperber, Albert and Montesanti.)