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Objective: Use of measures by practitioners in mental health (MH) is a cornerstone of evidence-based practice and essential to high-quality service provision. Session-by-session measure use, known as Measurement-Based Care (MBC), has been shown to improve treatment engagement and outcomes, yet little is known about the use of measures or MBC in Australian child and youth MH practitioners. This study surveyed Australian child and youth MH practitioners to examine the frequency of measure use, what outcomes are measured, and what facilitates measure use. Method: This survey included Australian practitioners (N = 205) working in child and youth MH. Results: Most practitioners reported using measures at some stage during treatment, but around 1 in 7 did not use measures at all. Only 10% used measures for every session or most sessions, which is characteristic of MBC. Symptom severity was measured by 84.3% of practitioners but only 35.6% measured goal attainment and 16.7% therapeutic alliance. The top facilitators of measure use endorsed by practitioners included free measures, better platforms to administer measures, and briefer measures. Conclusions: There is room for improvement in the use of outcome measures by Australian child and youth MH practitioners, and specifically in the use of MBC, which may improve client engagement and outcomes. Implications for the implementation of MBC are discussed. KEY POINTS: What is already known about this topic: Use of measures by practitioners is an important part of evidence-based practice. Use of Measurement-Based Care can improve engagement and outcomes. There is a lack of research about the use of measures and MBC by Australian child and youth practitioners. What this topic adds: About one in seven Australian children and youth practitioners do not use measures at all. Very few Australian practitioners use measures every session, which is characteristic of MBC. This study identified several facilitators that are easy to implement and can increase measure use by practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive parenting programs have a strong evidence base for improving parent–child relationships, strengthening families, and reducing childhood behavior disturbances. Their reach is less than optimal however, with only a minority of families in need of help participating. Father involvement is particularly low. Online, self-directed programs have the potential to improve participation rates. This article examines risk factors for dropout/attrition from a free, evidence-based, self-directed, father-inclusive parenting program, Parentworks, which was made available across Australia. Parents (N = 2,967) enrolled in the program and completed preintervention questionnaires. There was a steady and consistent loss of participants through the sequence of core program modules, until a final sample of 218 completed the postintervention questionnaire. A range of demographic and parent and child variables were tested as predictors of 3 subgroups: nonstarters, partial completers, and full completers. Nonstarters (n = 1,625) tended to have older children with fewer behavioral problems and report higher psychopathology and dysfunctional parenting than those who partially (n = 1,124) or fully completed. Contrary to findings from face-to-face research, single parents had the highest completion rates. Coparticipation of partners and interparental conflict had no impact on completion rates. Fathers participated at relatively high levels. Results show that parents with the greatest need tend to engage with online programs, and online programs may be particularly useful for fathers, single parents, and those in conflicted relationships. Directions for future program design and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is substantial evidence that parenting programs are effective in improving parenting and child mental health outcomes. While there is increasing focus on delivering parenting interventions online to increase their reach and dissemination, fathers are underrepresented in all formats of parenting programs. However, research suggests that father participation is important for intervention effectiveness. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a media campaign for increasing awareness of, and participation in, an online father-inclusive parenting program called 'ParentWorks'. An 8-week campaign was conducted in Australia via social media channels, digital display advertising, digital television, and radio. To assess the impact of the campaign, data were obtained from caregivers registering for ParentWorks during the campaign period (n = 848) and an 8-week comparison period that occurred 3 months later (n = 254). Additionally, a nationally representative sample of 2021 caregivers of children aged 2–16 years completed an online survey. Survey questions asked about exposure to the campaign, registration for participation in ParentWorks, and knowledge of the importance of father participation in parenting programs. Three times as many caregivers registered during the 8-week media campaign compared to the comparison period, and a significantly greater proportion of male caregivers registered in the campaign versus the comparison period. The online survey found that 11% of caregivers reported exposure to the campaign, and significantly more fathers than mothers reported exposure. Results showed that those who were exposed to the campaign were significantly more likely to endorse the importance of father participation in parenting programs, than those not exposed to the campaign. The findings indicate that media campaigns appear to be an effective method of increasing awareness of online parenting programs and enhancing rates of father involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Given the increasing research and practice interest in father engagement, this article aimed to develop a clinical narrative integrating the extant research literature to distil key practice recommendations for enhancing father engagement in parenting interventions for child wellbeing. Method: A narrative review of research on father engagement in interventions for child wellbeing was conducted, to identify and distil evidence‐based policies and practices to enhance father engagement for practitioners and organisations. Results: Six broad policy and practice recommendations are provided that pertain to: engaging the parenting team, avoiding a father deficit model, increasing father awareness of parenting interventions, ensuring father‐inclusive program content and delivery, increasing organisational support for father‐inclusive practice, and increasing professional father engagement training. Conclusion: This review provides practitioners with guidelines for enhancing father engagement based on the available research. It also provides recommendations for further research regarding the effectiveness of strategies to enhance father engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ecological model of adolescent mental health is proposed, based on data obtained from the Portuguese survey conducted by the first author (Matos, 2005; Matos et al., 2000, 2003, 2004), who is the national representative for the World Health Organisation collaborative European study: Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (Currie, Hurelmann, Settertobulte, Smith, & Todd, 2000; Currrie, Roberts, Morgan, et al., 2004). In particular, we were interested in whether parent encouragement for school added a specific effect to adolescent health over and above that afforded by the quality of the home and school environments. A nationally representative sample of 6903, 10- to 17-year-old adolescents participated in the survey. Measures were constructed of physical health, conduct problems, anxiety/depression, family communication, school environment, and parental encouragement for school. A series of regression analyses supported an ecological model of psychological health in which the family and school, as well as the relationship between the two, show relationships to adolescent health, conduct, and anxiety/depression problems. Despite the design and sampling limitations, results suggest that parental encouragement for school can be considered as having a specific positive effect on adolescent health, beyond the effect of school environment and family communication addressed individually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited prospective research on the relation between school connectedness (i.e., the extent to which students feel accepted, valued, respected, and included in the school) and mental health symptoms in adolescents. A sample of 2,022 students (999 boys and 1,023 girls) ages 12 to 14 years were measured at 2 time points (12 months apart) on school connectedness and mental health symptoms (general functioning, depression, and anxiety symptoms). School connectedness correlated extensively with concurrent mental health symptoms at both time points (between 38% and 55% covariation with depression, 26% to 46% with general functioning, and 9% and 16% for anxiety symptoms). Using hierarchical linear modeling, school connectedness also predicted depressive symptoms 1 year later for both boys and girls, anxiety symptoms for girls, and general functioning for boys, even after controlling for prior symptoms. The reverse, however, was not true: Prior mental health symptoms did not predict school connectedness 1 year later when controlling for prior school connectedness. Results suggest a stronger than previously reported association with school connectedness and adolescent depressive symptoms in particular and a predictive link from school connectedness to future mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent theoretical models highlighting the role of imagery in trauma and aversion learning focus on the role of images in memory (e.g., Brewin, Dalgleish, & Joseph, 1996) and images as substitute stimuli in aversive conditioning (Dadds, Bovbjerg, Redd, & Cutmore, 1997). An unanswered question is whether individual differences in imagery are associated with different rates of traumatisation and aversion states (fear and avoidance of various stimuli). We examine one aspect of this: does high imagery ability correlate with the frequency with which people report aversions? Three samples of university students were tested on the Betts Questionnaire Upon Mental Imagery, the Tellegen Absorption Scale, and a new measure we designed to sample of range of aversions. As hypothesised, vividness of imagery showed positive correlations with number of aversions reported. This relationship held after controlling for general neuroticism and proneness to disgust. Results for absorption showed no relationship. The results are unable to disentangle causal paths but suggest a focus on individual differences in imagery vividness may be fruitful for understanding individual differences in aversion learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wealth of research has shown links between parenting style and child behaviour, and the development of conduct problems in young children. Unfortunately, the most common and well-researched measures of parenting do not tap specific dimensions of parenting clearly related to risk for conduct problems in children. Recently, the development of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) appears to have overcome this problem. It has several subscales that were designed to correspond to empirically identified aspects of positive and negative parenting styles important to conduct problems. The current study evaluated the APO with a large community sample of 4- to 9-year-old Australian children. The results showed good internal consistency, validity, and test-retest reliability for the measure. Means, standard deviations, and proposed cut-off scores are presented. These data indicate the APQ is potentially a useful measure for clinicians and researchers working with Australian samples of children with conduct problems and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluated whether a universal school-based program, designed to prevent depression in adolescents, could be effectively implemented within the constraints of the school environment. Participants were 260 Year 9 secondary school students. Students completed measures of depressive symptoms and hopelessness and were then assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (a) Resourceful Adolescent Program-Adolescents (RAP-A), an 11-session school-based resilience building program, as part of the school curriculum; (b) Resourceful Adolescent Program-Family (RAP-F), the same program as in RAP-A, but in which each student's parents were also invited to participate in a 3-session parent program; and (c) Adolescent Watch, a comparison group in which adolescents simply completed the measures. The program was implemented with a high recruitment (88%), low attrition rate (5.8%), and satisfactory adherence to program protocol. Adolescents in either of the RAP programs reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptomatology and hopelessness at post-intervention and 10-month follow-up, compared with those in the comparison group. Adolescents also reported high satisfaction with the program. The study provides evidence for the efficacy of a school-based universal program designed to prevent depression in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measures and compares the evaluations of children and their parents regarding the child's predicted anxiety and skill level. Effect of family discussion on children's expectations; Anxious mothers' expectation of anxious behavior in their children.

Evaluated two procedures for assessing the cognitive constructions of family interactions of conduct-disordered children and their mothers. Video-mediated recall (VR) uses videotaped replays of family interaction as a cue to elicit cognitions about the interaction; thought listing (TL) involves writing down cognitions about the interaction. Twenty-five conduct-disordered children and 17 nonproblem children and their parents participated in the study. Cognitions were coded into self-referent positive, self-referent negative, family-referent positive, family-referent negative, other-referent positive, and other-referent negative. There was a significant effect of clinical status on cognitions using the VR measure for both children and parents, but not using the TL method. As hypothesized, conduct-disordered children on the VR method had higher levels of self-referent negative cognitions, lower levels of self-referent positive cognitions, and lower levels of family-referent positive cognitions than comparison children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the relationship between contextual variables and ongoing patterns of aversive interchange between parents and children in families of oppositional and nonproblem children. We obtained observational measures of child and maternal aversiveness and setting events (maternal activity, physical location, persons present) in each of five home settings on two separate occasions to derive a profile of families' typical patterns of interaction. We sought to determine how much levels of oppositional child and aversive maternal behavior varied as a function of contextual variables. As expected, the results showed that oppositional children and their mothers engage in higher levels of aversive interchange, compared to controls. However, both groups obtained a very similar profile in terms of how long mothers engaged in different household activities and stayed in different locations and how long children spent in the presence of their mother, father, and siblings. A regression analysis showed that a combined model that included both child aversiveness and all three sets of contextual variables accounted for a significantly greater amount of variance in maternal aversiveness than a model that included child aversiveness alone. A similar finding was obtained in a regression analysis to predict child aversiveness, However, the amount of variance accounted for by contextual variables varied considerably across families. We discuss implications of these findings for understanding family processes associated with oppositional behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted systematic observations of parent-parent interactions for 4 families undergoing behavioral parent training. The families all presented with an oppositional child and showed evidence of concurrent marital discord. Families underwent baseline, child management training (CMT), partner support training (PST), and follow-up in a multiple-baseline-across-families design. Measures of parent and child behavior were obtained by independent observers, who recorded the family interaction in the home during the evening meal and in other settings. Results showed that at baseline and CMT, parents engaged in aversive interchanges with their spouses, especially concurrently with child misbehavior. For most parents, successful implementation of the child management techniques was observed despite the aversive parental interchanges. Low rates of supportive interchanges were observed. During PST, aversive behavior decreased and problem solving increased for the majority of parents. Little change was noted for supportive behaviors. The results support the theories of Patterson and Reid (1984) and others, which emphasize the functional relationship of aggressive child behaviors to marital and other family interactional systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that certain indices of stage of HIV disease are determinants of psychological distress, although information is lacking on how disease stage impacts on multiple domains of adjustment. The present study aimed: (1) to explore differences among clinical stages of HIV on measures of psychosocial adjustment, and (2) to explore the relationship between indices of psychosocial adjustment to HIV and self-report measures of physical health. Ninety six HIV-infected persons and 33 HIV seronegative comparison group participants were interviewed and completed self-administered scales. Participants were divided into four groups (the independent variable): a comparison group and three HIV groups, representing the three clinical indices of illness stage (asymptomatic, early symptomatic and AIDS). Three subjective health indices included number of HIV-related symptoms, global health rating, and T4 count. The dependent variables included 5 psychosocial adjustment measures. Results indicated that social and instrumental domains of adjustment were significantly associated with both clinical stage and all 3 subjective health indices. Levels of psychological distress were associated with number of physical symptoms and global health rating, but were unrelated to clinical stage and T4 count. Emotional and existential concerns were unrelated to all indices of illness stage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the organisational, interpersonal, and political processes involved in setting up specialised clinical research and training facilities within Australian universities. The Behaviour Research and Therapy Centre (BRTC) at the University of Queensland is discussed as an example to illustrate the tasks involved in setting up and maintaining a clinical research and training facility. We also discuss some of the organisational obstacles to designing clinical facilities and possible strategies for overcoming them. Designing a training environment creates opportunities to apply principles of environmental design, organisational psychology, and behaviour modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]