Biomedical subjects

F P Deane

Publications and source records attributed to F P Deane.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Suicidal ideation and help-negation: Not just hopelessness or prior help.

Few distressed young people seek professional psychological help and little is known about what sources of help young people seek for different problems. In suicidal youth, the process of help-negation may exacerbate poor help-seeking. Three hundred and two undergraduate university students completed a questionnaire measuring suicidal ideation, hopelessness, prior help-seeking experience, and help-seeking intentions. Participants indicated they would seek help from different sources of help for different types of problems, but friends consistently were rated as the most likely source of help. Help-negation was suggested by higher levels of suicidal ideation being associated with lower help-seeking intentions. However, the negative suicidal ideation/help-seeking-intentions relationship was not explained by hopelessness or prior help-seeking. Help-negation appears to involve more than just negative expectations regarding the future. The discussion proposes social problem-solving orientation as one of a number of potential explanatory variables.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Concluding causation from correlation: comment on Burns and Spangler (2000).

This commentary critiques the study conducted by D. D. Burns and D. Spangler (2000) in which the relationship between homework compliance and therapy outcome was estimated using structural equation modeling (SEM). Although the authors of the commentary advocate the use of SEM, they suggest greater caution in the indiscriminate endorsement of a causal relationship based on (a) correlational data and (b) retrospective accounts of the main predictor variable within a cross-sectional design. This discussion also highlights a need to address the issue of therapist competence in homework administration. The results of Burns and Spangler's report are consistent with existing empirical evidence suggesting that compliance with homework facilitates therapeutic outcome. However, the gold standard for determining causal inferences rests on prospective, experimental research rather than on retrospective, correlational models.

Humans↗

PubMed2001

Suicide prevention in Aboriginal communities: application of community gatekeeper training.

OBJECTIVE: Concern over the high rate of suicide among Aboriginal people on the south coast of NSW led to the development of a project aimed at preventing youth suicide in the Aboriginal communities of the Shoalhaven. This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of the project. METHOD: Following extensive consultation with the Aboriginal community, a range of culturally appropriate interventions were developed. The main focus was a series of community gatekeeper training workshops, which aimed to increase the potential of members of the Aboriginal community to identify and support people at risk of suicide and to facilitate their access to helping services. RESULTS: Evaluation of the workshops demonstrated an increase in participants' knowledge about suicide, greater confidence in identification of people who are suicidal, and high levels of intentions to provide help. Attitudes, subjective norms and barriers predicted intentions to help. CONCLUSIONS: The project indicated community members could be successfully trained in the recognition of individuals at risk of suicidal behaviour. Gatekeepers' attitudes and perceived barriers to helping predicted intentions to help those in need. There is a need for longer-term follow-up to assess the extent to which new knowledge and skills are used in practice. IMPLICATIONS: Suicide awareness and skills training have been demonstrated to be an effective early intervention strategy. Gatekeeper training empowers Aboriginal communities and is generally accepted. There is demand for such programs outside the Shoalhaven. The project has a methodological framework that can be easily adapted by other communities.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Impact of attitudes and suicidal ideation on adolescents' intentions to seek professional psychological help.

Few adolescents who experience significant psychological distress seek professional psychological help, a finding particularly pertinent in New Zealand which has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world. In the present study, 221 New Zealand high school students completed a questionnaire which examined the relationship between a variety of approach and avoidance factors associated with professional psychological help-seeking. Suicidal ideation, attitudes, psychological distress, treatment fears, gender and prior help-seeking were significant predictors accounting for approximately 23% of students', self-rated help-seeking intentions. Contrary to expectations, higher levels of suicidal ideation led to lower levels of help-seeking intentions for suicidal thoughts. This findings is discussed in relation to the process of help-negation which has been identified in clinical suicidal samples. The implications of these findings for interventions that increase appropriate professional psychological help-seeking in adolescents are also discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Acquisition and severity of driving-related fears.

Rachman's theory of fear acquisition proposes that directly-conditioned fears will differ from indirectly-conditioned fears in magnitude and anxiety response patterns, however the theory has received inconsistent empirical support. The aim of the present study was to describe the fear acquisition pathways for a community sample who reported driving-related fears, and to test Rachman's theory of fear acquisition. One hundred and ninety participants completed a questionnaire which assessed a variety of driving-related situations, reactions to motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), and anxiety response patterns. Professional psychological helpseeking and perceived need for treatment for driving-related fears were also assessed. Results failed to support Rachman's predictions. However, it was confirmed that respondents who had been involved in an MVA were more likely to ascribe their fears to a directly-conditioned pathway. The theoretical and methodological implications of the findings are discussed, along with suggestions for assessment of those with driving-related fears.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1999

Stability of driving fear acquisition pathways over one year.

The present study was conducted in response to increasing concerns about the potential unreliability of retrospective accounts in assessing the origins of fears and phobias. Some investigators [e.g. Menzies, R.G., & Clarke, J.C. (1993). The etiology of fear of heights and its relationship to severity and individual response patterns. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 31, 355-365; Kirkby, K.C., Menzies, R.G., Daniels, B.A., & Smith, K.L. (1995). Aetiology of spider phobia: Classificatory differences between two origins instruments. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33, 955-958; King, N.J., Gullone, E., & Ollendick, T.H. (1998). Etiology of childhood phobias: current status of Rachman's three pathways theory. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 297-309.] have questioned the reliability of retrospective reports at a single assessment point, although the test-retest reliability of such accounts has yet to be examined. The aim of the present study was to conduct a one-year follow-up of the subclinical driving-fearful sample studied by Taylor and Deane [Taylor, J. E., & Deane, F. P. (1999). Acquisition and severity of driving-related fears. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, 435-449.] to primarily investigate, the stability of fear onset ascriptions and fear severity over time. 85 respondents completed a questionnaire which assessed fear origins, anxiety response patterns, and additional fear-relevant events occurring over the year. The results suggest that retrospective accounts of fear onset may be quite unstable over time, although this instability does not clearly appear to be related to intervening events, and limitations of the study make these results inconclusive. Fear-relevant negative thinking worsened over time, while physiological reactions and general anxiety remained relatively stable. The theoretical, methodological and clinical implications of the findings are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

The Arousability Predisposition Scale: validity and determinants of between-subject variability.

Norms for the Arousability Predisposition Scale (APS; S. Coren, 1990) obtained from an Australian university sample are presented. The construct tapped by the APS is reviewed, with state and trait anxiety, sex, and age examined as possible determinants of individual arousability predisposition. Sex differences were found on trait anxiety and APS measures--women scored higher than men on those respective measures. Regression analysis revealed that trait anxiety accounted for a large proportion of variance on the APS, whereas sex accounted for a small, but statistically significant, proportion of variance. It is suggested that the APS taps a component of trait anxiety. Further research is called for to validate the APS as a measure of physiological arousability and as a useful psychophysical tool.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Origins of common fears: effects on severity, anxiety responses and memories of onset.

The purpose of the present study was twofold: First, to test Rachman's (1976) theory (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 14, 125-131) which predicts that "directly" conditioned fears will differ from "indirectly" conditioned fears in magnitude and anxiety response patterns. Secondly, to explore validity issues related to the questionnaire methodology typically used in fear acquisition research. The questionnaire comprised 3 anxiety scales and 3 fear-onset questions used in prior research, a specifically developed 36-item fear list and 2 validity-check items. One hundred and ninety-one Ss completed the questionnaire. After selecting and rank-ordering 10 fears from the fear list, Ss answered questionnaire items for their first- and then their tenth-ranked fear. Results failed to confirm Rachman's predictions: A significantly greater proportion of Ss ascribed highly-feared and moderately-feared situations or things to direct conditioning. In addition, differential anxiety response patterns were not present for different levels of fear. However, results supported the prediction that direct-conditioning ascriptions would be endorsed with greater certainty. The findings suggest that direct-conditioning experiences may be more memorable than indirect-conditioning events. The theoretical and methodological implications of the findings are discussed. It is suggested that future research either employ methodologies more suited to investigating causal relationships or that Rachman's (1976) theory be blended with an attributional account of fear acquisition.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Pretreatment expectations of New Zealand clients receiving cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy: comparison with a North American sample.

A study of New Zealand clients' expectations of psychotherapy was conducted using the Psychotherapy Questionnaire (PQ). The PQ was administered to 141 New Zealand clients attending their first appointment with a clinical psychologist. The New Zealand clients' expectations were compared to previous research using a sample of USA clients who also completed the PQ prior to their first visit with a therapist. Those differences between the NZ and USA samples were consistent with previous research comparing the expectations of non-American samples. In general the NZ sample expected to be more passive in therapy than the USA sample and did not expect to have to discuss difficult or uncomfortable topics. Despite these differences there were suggestions that NZ and USA clients may have more similarities than differences with regard to their expectations about psychotherapy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

A comparison of USA and New Zealand psychiatric patients' requests and clinicians understanding of patients' requests.

This study compares USA and New Zealand psychiatric patients' requests at the initial psychiatric interview and examines clinician's accuracy in estimating patients' treatment request preferences. Eighty-five of the 146 consecutive nonacute patients to the psychiatric unit of a public New Zealand hospital completed a 14-item Patient Request Form before their initial interview and their clinician completed an equivalent form at the end of the interview. Patients' treatment request preferences were similar in the USA and New Zealand samples as were clinician's tendency to underestimate the importance their patients placed on requests. The results are discussed in relation to effective treatment planning.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Determining the focus of driving fears.

Fear of driving has been recognized as a complex diagnostic entity. Studies on flying phobia have drawn similar conclusions, although increasing clarity has been gained through research that indicates that there may be subtypes of flying phobia based on the focus of fear. However, it is unclear if similar subtypes exist for fear of driving. The aim of the present study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of driving fear subtypes and to clarify further whether there were differences between driving-fearful respondents who had been in a motor vehicle accident (MVA) and those who had not. Eighty-five driving-fearful, media-recruited respondents completed a questionnaire that assessed anxiety, avoidance, and concerns related to their driving fears. The sample had high expectations of negative events while driving. There were no significant differences between those who had experienced an MVA and those who had not on various measures of fear severity. Cluster analysis revealed two main foci of fear, one characterized by danger expectancies and the other based on anxiety expectancies and unpleasant driving situations. This emphasizes the importance of assessing both internal and external foci of fear. Although this finding is consistent with the results obtained for flying phobia, more research is required to replicate and extend these results and to develop and evaluate differential treatment programs.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison and characteristics of motor vehicle accident (MVA) and non-MVA driving fears.

Prior research has revealed the diagnostic complexity among people who report driving fears. However, the focus on survivors of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) and diagnostic samples may have inadvertently led to a relative neglect of the broader driving-fearful population. No studies could be located that compared MVA survivors with those who had not experienced an MVA. The aim of the present study was to address these deficits by comparing the characteristics of MVA and non-MVA driving-fearfuls and also exploring a range of characteristics associated with driving fears. One hundred and ninety media-recruited driving-fearfuls completed a questionnaire that assessed severity of anxiety and avoidance associated with a variety of driving situations. It was found that fear levels were similar to samples of driving phobics and MVA victims. There were no significant differences between MVA and non-MVA respondents on various measures of fear severity. In addition, the sample rated a high level of anxiety when driving with someone who criticizes their driving. Implications of the findings are discussed, along with suggestions for assessment and treatment of those with driving-related fears.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Improving attendance at intake in children's outpatient services of a community mental health centre.

Concern that non-attendance at initial appointments may lead to increased delays for new clients attempting to enter treatment, led to the development of an intervention to improve attendance at intake in children's out-patients services of a community mental health centre. The new procedure encouraged parents who telephoned the centre to come into children's services to complete a behaviour checklist on their child before receiving an initial appointment time. In the sample of 464 consecutive initial appointments scheduled over the study period, there was a reduction in the broken appointment rate from 37.7% during baseline to 26.5% during the intervention phase. Although this was a simple, flexible and inexpensive intervention, it is suggested that the result is replicated with a controlled experimental design, and interventions are tailored to specific types of attendance problems.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

User expectations and perceptions of a patient management information system.

The use of computers in health care has become increasingly common. However, implemented systems at times have not met the expectations of the user group, resulting in disconfirmed expectations. This article takes a first tentative look at the notion of disconfirmed expectations and the possible impact disconfirmed expectations may have upon the perceptions of the system the user group may develop. Seventy-two pre-users and 30 users completed a questionnaire regarding their system expectations (pre-users) or system perceptions (user). Analysis examined occupation and use (pre-user/user) ratings. Results found vast differences in both use and occupation. When examining the observed differences in use (pre-user/user), a discriminant analysis identified nine factors that discriminated significantly between these groups, with 'user support' being the main factor. When examining the groups by occupation (clerical, nursing, other) it was found that differences were explained by how effective the system was at meeting their daily work requirement needs. These results are discussed in relation to system implementation strategies.

Attitude to Computers↗