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Objective: Despite the increasing prevalence of psychological distress in university and college students, little is known about their use of coping strategies. This study explored healthy and unhealthy coping strategies in this population. Participants: A representative sample of 509 students at a large public university in the US. Methods: This study analyzed survey data from a special version of the Healthy Minds Study. Results: The most frequently used healthy strategies were distraction, deep breathing, relaxation and social activity. The most frequently used unhealthy coping strategies were spending time alone and eating. Students who used more unhealthy coping and fewer healthy strategies were more likely to have clinical levels of depression and anxiety symptoms. Relatively few students with clinical symptoms used professional support as a coping strategy. Conclusions: The results suggest that population-level monitoring and coping interventions may be promising avenues to improve university student wellbeing.

: Objectives: Parenting is central to children's optimal development and accounts for a substantial proportion of the variance in child outcomes, including up to 40% of child mental health. Parenting is also one of the most modifiable, proximal, and direct factors for preventing and treating a range of children's problems and enhancing wellbeing. To determine the effectiveness of new approaches to parenting intervention, and to evaluate how to optimise reach and uptake, sufficient funding must be allocated for high quality research. Method: We reviewed funding awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Australian Research Council (ARC) for parenting intervention research during 2011–2020. Results: Parenting intervention research received 0.25% of the NHMRC and ARC research budgets. Conclusions: There is a substantial mismatch between the funding of parenting intervention research and the impact of improved parenting on short‐ and long‐term child outcomes. To rectify this, it is critical that Australian Government funding schemes include parenting interventions as priority areas for funding. Implications for public health: Changes in allocation of funding to parenting research will support the establishment of evidence for the effective development, implementation and dissemination of parenting interventions to maximise health outcomes for children and their families., Parenting interventions play a central role in promoting and protecting the health, wellbeing and educational outcomes of children, adolescents and families, as well as preventing and treating difficulties when they [...]

The increasing awareness and impact of mental health problems in university students in addition to a need for objective measures of teaching quality provide the impetus for a new approach to supporting students. There is a need for more effective tools that integrate the institutional silos of teaching, learning, support, and wellbeing to help students maximise their educational outcomes. This paper provides an overview of an innovative student-centred tool, "The Learning Thermometer", as an efficient and effective way to integrate the institutional silos and embedding student support within the mainstream curriculum. The Learning Thermometer comprises four web-based surveys that are completed by students during the semester. After each survey students are provided with relevant feedback, and if necessary, suggestions of strategies, resources and people who can help them with their learning and/or wellbeing. The Learning Thermometer has the potential to ensure every student has access to support, if and when they need it during their studies. Recommendations are made on how the tool can be used to enhance teaching, learning and student health and wellbeing.

Poor well-being in university students is a serious concern. Using self-kindness -- an attitude of understanding and benevolence in times of adversity or failure -- may be key to enabling students to maintain well-being despite the pressures inherent to their student role. This study aimed to test a theoretically guided model of how self-kindness, along with the ability to be in the present moment and the experience of receiving social support, contribute to well-being in university students. Participants were 6195 university students who completed a web-based survey. Structural equation modelling analyses confirmed our hypotheses, showing that: (a) receiving social support is important to the capacity for self-kindness both directly and indirectly through the ability to 'be present'; and (b) the relationship between social support and well-being is partially mediated by the practices of self-kindness and being present. Overall, the model explained 39% of the variance in student well-being. These findings have implications for our understanding of well-being in university students, as well as the importance of considering self-kindness, on its own, as a target for intervention.

International students encounter a range of additional challenges as a part of their tertiary study experience. A qualitative approach was used to understand the challenges faced by international students, coping strategies that promoted their personal resilience and advice they have for future international students. Twenty-two international students from an Australian university participated in four focus groups. The challenges identified by students included adjustment, social isolation, English language skills, academic difficulties, unmet expectations, employment, culture shock and psychological distress. Participants shared their own personal experiences and strategies used by them to cope and identified strategies that future students could use prior to leaving their home country and whilst in Australia to improve their adjustment. Uses of international student stories in prevention interventions are discussed.

Mental health problems can significantly impact on the ability of university students to both meet their individual potential and contribute positively within society. This study evaluates the feasibility of embedding a strength-focused resilience-building seminar within a university curriculum. Participants were 247 students enrolled in an undergraduate psychology subject. The "Staying on Track" seminar, consisting of six building blocks for resilience, was delivered within a normal lecture period. Students completed post-measures on satisfaction and usefulness, as well as follow-up reflective journals entries noting changes made as a result of seminar participation. The seminar received high scores for satisfaction and 90% of students reported at least one of the six building blocks as being useful to them. Satisfaction also translated into self-reported positive behaviour change for many students. Implications for the role of curriculum-based resilience-building programs within universities are discussed. (Contains 1 table.)

Behavioural family intervention is an effective form of intervention for the prevention and treatment of a wide range of emotional and behavioural problems in children. There is a growing need to address the accessibility of these services. This paper reviews the literature on self-directed interventions designed to help parents manage difficult child behaviours. Evidence regarding the efficacy of interventions is reviewed, and some of the difficulties associated with self-directed programs are discussed. The Self-directed Triple P and Teen Triple P-Positive Parenting Programs are highlighted as examples of efficacious and effective behavioural family interventions fitting into a larger multilevel model of family intervention. The discussion of the efficacy and effectiveness of self-directed Triple P has implications for service delivery of parenting programs.

Divorce is a major life stressor and life transition for parents and children. It places parents and children at risk of developing psychological problems that can have long-term negative consequences for children. Family Transitions Triple P is an adaptation of Triple P-Positive Parenting Program that has been specifically developed to address risk factors and enhance protective factors for parents who are divorced. This paper presents the rationale, theoretical foundations, historical development, and distinguishing features of this program. The multilevel intervention promotes parental sell-sufficiency, self-efficacy, self-management skills, personal agency, and problem-solving skills to promote short- and long-term positive outcomes for children and parents alter divorce, doi:10.1300/J087v47n03_07 [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: [c] 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.] KEYWORDS. Divorce, parenting interventions, parents and children, divorce education

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pharmacological interventions for the treatment of psychological distress in people with asthma. Data sources: Electronic searches were performed in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed/Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Health Technology Assessment Database and Web of Science (inception to April 2019). Study selections: Included studies were randomized controlled trials (RCT) or controlled clinical trials investigating the effect of pharmacological interventions for psychological distress in people with asthma. Records were screened and data extracted by two independent authors into standardized pilot-tested extraction templates. Data was analyzed according to standard Cochrane methodology and entered into Review Manager Software version 5.3. Results: From 5,689 studies, six RCTs (n = 215) met inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review, of which four studies were included in the meta-analysis. A meta-analysis of four studies (n = 158) indicated no evidence of an effect for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Citalopram or Escitalopram) on reduction of psychological distress in adult patients with asthma. Similarly, antiepileptic medication (Levetiracetam) was no better than placebo in the treatment of psychological distress in people with asthma. Adverse events were poorly reported across all studies but were slightly increased among intervention participants compared to control participants. Conclusions: There was great heterogeneity between studies and overall poor methodological quality providing insufficient evidence to make recommendations for or against the use of pharmacotherapy in asthma patients with psychological distress. Further confirmatory trials are warranted to make recommendations for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]