Biomedical subjects

Dianna T Kenny

Publications and source records attributed to Dianna T Kenny.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Substance use and treatment seeking in young offenders on community orders.

Both international and Australian studies reveal very low rates of treatment utilization for substance abuse among young offenders despite very high problematic rates of substance abuse among this group. The current study reports on substance use patterns of a representative sample of 712 young offenders serving community orders with the New South Wales Department of Juvenile Justice (Australia) and their history of and attitudes toward treatment. Most (87%) young offenders had used marijuana, and 47% had used amphetamines in the last 12 months. One third of the sample reported problematic use of alcohol (being drunk at least weekly, on average). Forty-three percent reported that they engaged in crime to maintain their substance use. On the substance abuse scale of the Adolescent Psychopathology Scale-Short Form, 36.4% of the sample fell into the moderate to severe problem range. Despite such problems, treatment motivation was poor: 10% reported willingness to access treatment for their drug problems. Eighteen percent reported accessing some form of treatment in the past; the most common form of help seeking was approaching their family (12%). Self-reported access to other drug treatments was even lower, with the more intensive treatments revealing low rates of treatment completion. Despite almost 40% of the sample revealing significant substance abuse problems, referral for treatment was also low, with only 18% of the sample being offered an appointment with juvenile justice drug and alcohol workers. This study reveals the gap between awareness of problematic drug use and treatment-seeking behavior, and has implications for improving outreach to young offenders with substance abuse problems.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Acoustic and perceptual appraisal of vocal gestures in the female classical voice.

Long-term average spectra (LTAS) have identified features in the sounds of singers and have compared different vocal qualities based on energy changes that occur during different vocal tasks. In this study, we compared the perceptual ratings of vocal quality of expert pedagogues with acoustic measures performed on LTAS. Fifteen expert judges rated 24 samples with six repeats of six advanced singing students under two conditions: "optimal" (O), which represented the application of the maximal open throat technique; and "suboptimal" (SO), which represented the application of the reduced open throat technique. LTAS were performed on each singing sample, and two conventional assessments of peak energy height [singing power ratio (SPR)] and peak area [energy ratio (ER)] were calculated on each LTAS. Perceptual scores, SPR, and ER were rank ordered. We then compared perceptual rankings with rankings of acoustic measures (SPR and ER) to assess whether these acoustic measurements matched the perceptual judgments of vocal quality. Although we found the expected significant relationship between SPR and ER, there was no relationship between perceptual ratings of vocal samples or singers based on SPR or ER. These findings suggest that because LTAS measures are not consistent with perceptual ratings of vocal quality, such measurements cannot define a voice of quality. Future research with LTAS to assess vocal quality should consider alternative measures that are more sensitive to subtle differences in vocal parameters.

Acoustics↗

PubMed2005

Development and validation of a music performance anxiety inventory for gifted adolescent musicians.

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a distressing experience for musicians of all ages, yet the empirical investigation of MPA in adolescents has received little attention to date. No measures specifically targeting MPA in adolescents have been empirically validated. This article presents findings of an initial study into the psychometric properties and validation of the Music Performance Anxiety Inventory for Adolescents (MPAI-A), a new self-report measure of MPA for this group. Data from 381 elite young musicians aged 12-19 years was used to investigate the factor structure, internal reliability, construct and divergent validity of the MPAI-A. Cronbach's alpha for the full measure was .91. Factor analysis identified three factors, which together accounted for 53% of the variance. Construct validity was demonstrated by significant positive relationships with social phobia (measured using the Social Phobia Anxiety Inventory [Beidel, D. C., Turner, S. M., & Morris, T. L. (1995). A new inventory to assess childhood social anxiety and phobia: The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children. Psychological Assessment, 7(1), 73-79; Beidel, D. C., Turner, S. M., & Morris, T. L. (1998). Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C). North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems Inc.]) and trait anxiety (measured using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory [Spielberger, C. D. (1983). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory STAI (Form Y). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.]). The MPAI-A demonstrated convergent validity by a moderate to strong positive correlation with an adult measure of MPA. Discriminant validity was established by a weaker positive relationship with depression, and no relationship with externalizing behavior problems. It is hoped that the MPAI-A, as the first empirically validated measure of adolescent musicians' performance anxiety, will enhance and promote phenomenological and treatment research in this area.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Effects of topical anesthetic and flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy on professional sopranos.

This study examined the acoustic and perceptual effects of topical anesthetic and flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy (FFL) against a control condition on the singing voices of ten professional sopranos. Recordings of a section of an aria, various scales, and a messa di voce exercise were obtained in the three experimental conditions. Acoustic analyses of the same aria section recorded during the three conditions were similar with respect to the distribution of energy across the spectrum (LTAS) and vibrato rate and extent. The ability of the participants to achieve their highest and lowest notes or to complete the messa di voce was also not affected by the anesthetic or FFL. Perceptual ratings of a variety of parameters by experienced singing teachers also revealed little difference across conditions with only "appropriate velopharyngeal closure" found to differ in one comparison. These results indicate that highly experienced operatic sopranos are either not affected by or appear to have the ability to compensate for the presence of anesthetic and the FFL. The most likely explanation is that this group of singers relied on a solid vocal technique. Results will need to be replicated on less accomplished singers before concluding that this medical procedure does not affect the operatic singing voice.

Administration, Topical↗

PubMed2004

Music performance anxiety and occupational stress amongst opera chorus artists and their relationship with state and trait anxiety and perfectionism.

This study explored the inter-relationships among state and trait anxiety, occupational stress, perfectionism, aspiration, and music performance anxiety in a group of elite operatic chorus artists employed full-time by a national opera company. The chorus artists reported higher trait anxiety, higher occupational role concerns, and higher occupational personal strain than normative samples. Higher scores on personal resources were associated with the higher scores on trait anxiety. It appears that these resources were used adaptively to manage anxiety. High trait anxiety was also associated with high personal strain in the work environment. Anxiety was not related to occupational roles or issues related to the physical environment or working conditions. These results suggest that while trait anxiety and music performance anxiety were closely associated, occupational stress makes a separate contribution to the quality of working life experienced by elite choral artists.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Constructions of chronic pain in doctor-patient relationships: bridging the communication chasm.

This study examined interactions between doctors and their chronic pain patients in the context of investigations for medically unexplained pain. Doctor-patient interactions were explored through the analysis of the accounts of the communication process in the chronic pain consultation of 20 chronic pain patients with their pain specialists and the accounts of 22 pain specialists with their chronic pain patients. An implicit dialogue between doctors and their patients was identified that appeared to undermine the quality of their interactions, challenged each other's credibility and caused distress to both parties. The implicit dialogue of the chronic pain patient was based on the biogenic theory while the implicit dialogue of doctors was underpinned by psychogenic theory. Potentially healing interactions between doctors and their patients that do not rely on the biogenic model of the visible body or the psychogenic model of invisible pain are needed to assist the communication between chronic pain patients and their doctors. A systemic theoretical analysis of this process is offered.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The impact of 'open throat' technique on vibrato rate, extent and onset in classical singing.

Mitchell, Kenny et al. (2003) identified 'open throat' as integral to the production of an even and consistent sound in classical singing. In this study, we compared vibrato rate, extent and onset of six advanced singing students under three conditions: 'optimal' (O), representing maximal open throat; 'sub-optimal' (SO), using reduced open throat; and loud sub-optimal (LSO), using reduced open throat but controlling for the effect of loudness. Fifteen expert judges correctly identified the sound produced when singers used open throat with 85% accuracy. Having verified the technique perceptually, we used a series of univariate repeated measures ANOVAs with planned orthogonal contrasts to test the hypotheses that frequency modulations associated with vibrato rate, extent and onset would vary outside acceptable or desirable parameters for SO and LSO. Hypotheses were confirmed for vibrato extent and onset but not for rate. There were no significant differences between SO and LSO on any of the vibrato parameters. As vibrato is considered a key indicator of good singing, these findings suggest that open throat is important to the production of a good sound in classical singing.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The effects of open throat technique on long term average spectra (LTAS) of female classical voices.

In the third of a series of studies on open throat technique, we compared long term average spectra (LTAS) of six advanced singing students under three conditions: 'optimal' (O), representing maximal open throat, 'sub-optimal' (SO), using reduced open throat, and loud sub-optimal (LSO) to control for the effect of loudness. Using a series of univariate repeated measures ANOVAs with planned orthogonal contrasts, we tested the hypotheses that sound pressure level (SPL) and the ratio of spectral energy in peaks and areas between 0-2 kHz and 2-4 kHz would be reduced in SO and LSO compared to O. There were significant differences between SO and LSO but hypotheses were not confirmed for O. These findings do not accord with differences in vibrato extent and onset between O and SO/LSO (Mitchell and Kenny, in press). These results suggest that while LTAS provides information on energy distribution, measuring spectral energy areas appears to be the most sensitive measure of energy distribution between conditions. Plotting the differences between O and SO/LSO pairs of LTAS clearly indicates the areas of spectral change. The findings from this study also indicate that LTAS are not sufficiently sensitive to measure vocal timbre as they were not consistent with perceptual or other acoustic studies of the same samples.

Acoustics↗

PubMed2004

The impact of group singing on mood, coping, and perceived pain in chronic pain patients attending a multidisciplinary pain clinic.

This study explored the impact of group singing on mood, coping, and perceived pain in chronic pain patients attending a multidisciplinary pain clinic. Singers participated in nine 30-minute sessions of small group singing, while comparisons listened to music while exercising. A short form of The Profile of Mood States (POMS) was administered before and after selected singing sessions to assess whether singing produced short-term elevations in mood. Results indicated that pre to post difference scores were significantly different between singing and control groups for only one of the 15 mood variables (i.e., uneasy). To test the longer term impacts of singing the Profile of Mood States, Zung Depression Inventory, Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, Pain Rating Self-Statement, and Pain Disability Questionnaire were administered immediately before and after the singing sessions. All inventories other than the POMS were re-administered 6 months later. One-way ANCOVAs indicated that participants who attended the singing sessions showed evidence of postintervention improvements in active coping, relative to those who failed to attend, when preintervention differences in active coping were controlled for. While the singing group showed marked improvements from pre to postintervention on all mood, coping, and perceived pain variables, these improvements were also observed among comparison participants. The results of this study suggest that active singing may have some benefits, in terms of enhancing active coping, though the limitations of the study and small effect sizes observed suggest that further research is required to fully explore such effects.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

The effects of yoga on the attention and behavior of boys with Attention-Deficit/ hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Boys diagnosed with ADHD by specialist pediatricians and stabilized on medication were randomly assigned to a 20-session yoga group (n = 11) or a control group (cooperative activities; n = 8). Boys were assessed pre- and post-intervention on the Conners' Parent and Teacher Rating Scales-Revised: Long (CPRS-R:L & CTRS-R:L; Conners, 1997), the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA; Greenberg, Cormna, & Kindschi, 1997), and the Motion Logger Actigraph. Data were analyzed using one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant improvements from pre-test to post-test were found for the yoga, but not for the control group on five subscales of the Conners' Parents Rating Scales (CPRS): Oppositional, Global Index Emotional Lability, Global Index Total, Global Index Restless/Impulsive and ADHD Index. Significant improvements from pre-test to post-test were found for the control group, but not the yoga group on three CPRS subscales: Hyperactivity, Anxious/Shy, and Social Problems. Both groups improved significantly on CPRS Perfectionism, DSM-IV Hyperactive/ Impulsive, and DSM-IV Total. For the yoga group, positive change from pre- to post-test on the Conners' Teacher Rating Scales (CTRS) was associated with the number of sessions attended on the DSM-IV Hyperactive-Impulsive subscale and with a trend on DSM-IV Inattentive subscale. Those in the yoga group who engaged in more home practice showed a significant improvement on TOVA Response Time Variability with a trend on the ADHD score, and greater improvements on the CTRS Global Emotional Lability subscale. Results from the Motion Logger Actigraph were inconclusive. Although these data do not provide strong support for the use of yoga for ADHD, partly because the study was under-powered, they do suggest that yoga may have merit as a complementary treatment for boys with ADHD already stabilized on medication, particularly for its evening effect when medication effects are absent. Yoga remains an investigational treatment, but this study supports further research into its possible uses for this population. These findings need to be replicated on larger groups with a more intensive supervised practice program.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Defining 'open throat' through content analysis of experts' pedagogical practices.

'Open throat' is a term regularly used in the singing studio, but agreement across pedagogues as to its definition and function has not yet been assessed. Fifteen expert singing pedagogues participated in a qualitative study involving a semi-structured interview to explore current thinking regarding terminology, pedagogy, sound quality and the perceived physiology to achieve open throat, as used in the singing studio. Most teachers included the use of the technique as a fundamental in singing training, and were positive about the sound quality it achieved, especially in classical singing. The purpose of the technique was described as a way of maximizing pharyngeal space and/or achieving abduction of the ventricular folds.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

WorkCover's physiotherapy forms: purpose beyond paperwork?

We retrospectively analysed 219 consecutive treatment plans submitted to a large New South Wales workers' compensation insurer for workers coded by the insurer as suffering from back pain. The purpose was to (i) describe the quality of goals of treatment provided to insurers by physiotherapists for workers with back pain using guidelines provided by the WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (WorkCover); (ii) compare the physiotherapists' prognoses against prognoses indicated in clinical practice guidelines; and (iii) make recommendations about the communication system between physiotherapists and insurers. The back pain of most treated workers was classified as acute and the majority of physiotherapists estimated that treatment would be of short duration, which is concordant with current treatment guidelines. However, most physiotherapists did not provide precise, measurable or time-specific treatment goals, despite this being emphasised by WorkCover. We propose ways of improving communication practices between physiotherapists and insurers.

Communication↗