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Student attrition from colleges in the United States is a widespread phenomenon, posing real stresses to students, their families, and to universities. We examined the causes of poor academic performance in students' first semester through interviews and questionnaires and administered a small intervention course to freshmen on academic probation the following semester. This intervention had a modest positive effect on retention and academic self-efficacy but not on locus of control or grade point average. Finally, the 10% lower attrition rate among the students in our Portals to Academic Student Success courses suggests that small-scale interventions can mitigate attrition among students who later prove an ability to continue matriculating.

This article reports on the first study to investigate interparent agreement when the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is used to assess school-aged children. It is also the first study conducted in China on agreement between parents reporting on their child. Both parents of 380 girls and 320 boys completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Chinese version). Because reliabilities were poor, the Conduct Problems and Hyperactivity/Inattention subscales were merged to form an Externalizing Problems subscale, and the Peer Problems subscale as an independent variable was omitted from analyses. Consistent with past research, moderate to strong correlations were found between mother and father reports for emotional and behavioral problems, although interparent agreement was better for externalizing problems than internalizing problems for both girls and boys. Mothers reported significantly higher scores than fathers for prosocial behaviors for their sons. Findings suggest that, in general, one parent's report will be similar to the other's when the SDQ is used in the form adapted for this study. More work on the psychometric properties of the SDQ is needed in China. (Contains 3 tables.)

The limited findings on the impact of female-perpetrated sexual abuse of children are often contradictory, particularly in relation to males. In this exploratory qualitative study, a sample of nine men and five women who reported that they had been sexually abused by women in their childhood were recruited from the general community. They completed a questionnaire that asked them to describe various aspects of their abuse experiences and the perceived consequences. For both men and women, the abuse was associated with negative outcomes across a range of functional areas in both childhood and adulthood. Many impacts were similar to those reported by victims of male-perpetrated sexual abuse. It is argued that the consequences of female-perpetrated child sexual abuse are serious, and further research is required to bring these issues to the awareness of both the public and professionals working in the field of child protection and counseling. (Contains 1 table.)

Childhood cruelty to animals is a symptom of conduct disorder that has been linked to the perpetration of violence in later life. Research has identified several factors associated with its etiology, including social factors. However, no cross-cultural studies on this phenomenon have been reported. This study investigated childhood cruelty to animals in Japan, Australia and Malaysia. Parents of 1,358 children between the ages of 5 and 13 years completed the Children's Attitudes and Behaviours towards Animals questionnaire (CABTA) which assesses Typical and Malicious Cruelty to animals. Analyses revealed no overall differences between children from these countries on either scale. However, younger boys were more likely to be cruel than younger girls in each country, and younger children in Australia and Japan were more likely to be cruel than older children in those countries. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research, and recommendations for future studies are suggested.

A sample of 917 children, aged 7 to 17 years, their parents, and their teachers each completed the appropriate version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and 120 from each group did so again 2 weeks later. The results indicate that the SDQ demonstrates sound interinformant and test-retest reliability. Younger children, whose self-reports have not been assessed in previous studies, were reliable in their responding, although not as reliable as older children by these measures. However, the internal reliability of the various subscales, in particular, the peer problems subscale, is questionable for both older and younger child respondents. Overall the findings suggest that the SDQ's use may be extended cautiously to include self-report from younger children.

This study examined a set of background psychological and other variables of orthorexic (ON) tendency in a sample of young women with special interest in healthy lifestyle. The sample consisted of female young adults (N = 310; aged 18–35 years; mean age = 24.3 years; SD = 4.97 years) who were recruited through social media health sites. Besides Orthorexia Nervosa Questionnaire (ORTO‑15), BMI, regular sporting activity, the following scales were used: Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI, drive for thinness, ineffectiveness and maturity fears); Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS); and The Proactive Coping Inventory. In this sample, 37.7% were at risk for ON. Eating disorder attitudes, regular sporting and social media addiction were the most relevant predictors of orthorexic tendency with drive for thinness being the strongest contributor (β = 0.54, p < 0.001). For young women with a special interest in healthy lifestyle, drive for thinness together with regular sporting, ON tendency may serve as a tool for achieving their goal. Social media addiction and other psychological problems (feeling of ineffectiveness or maturity fears) can also contribute to orthorexic rendency. It would be important to ask for support from qualified health professionals when changing nutritional practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its impact on mental health and well‐being, fear of happiness is beginning to receive more attention in research. This study, conducted in Hungary, explored the relationship between fear of happiness, perfectionism, loneliness, hopelessness, and academic burnout. Participants aged between 18 and 35 years (N = 1,148, M = 22 years, SD = 4.5) completed an online questionnaire that included self‐report measures of these constructs. In the present study, males showed higher levels of fear of happiness and perfectionism than did females. Analyses also revealed that both adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism, academic burnout, loneliness, and hopelessness were positively related to fear of happiness. In multiple regression analysis, gender had a positive and age had a negative role in the levels of fear of happiness. Maladaptive perfectionism, academic burnout, loneliness, and hopelessness were positive predictors, while adaptive perfectionism almost reached statistical significance. These findings highlight the predictive role of previously unexplored variables in fear of happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: At time of diagnosis, people with dementia and their carers can access support services to help them to plan for their future care needs, but often they do not engage with these services. It is not clear why this occurs but a potential explanation explored in this paper is that disclosure of a dementia diagnosis is an overwhelming and highly stressful event that may lead to behavioural avoidance in the manner of post-traumatic stress. In this study we use a post-traumatic stress screening tool to determine whether being diagnosed with dementia shares some qualitative similarities with post-traumatic stress disorder and explore whether this is associated with a reduced likelihood to engage support services following diagnosis. Method: We conducted a small pilot study through the local memory clinic with eight people with dementia and 11 carers returning surveys. Participants completed the Impact of Events Scale-Revised, a validated post-traumatic stress disorder screening tool, and also provided information regarding their experience of the diagnosis and subsequent use of support services. Results: One person with dementia and two carers had scores on the Impact of Events Scale-Revised indicating a probable diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and two people with dementia and two carers scored within the range of clinical concern. The average Impact of Events Scale-Revised score of those who had taken-up a referral to home support was significantly lower than those who had not. Conclusion: A dementia diagnosis can be associated with symptoms that are consistent with post-traumatic stress, which in turn may affect engagement with support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents who are exposed to social norms related to violence against women are more likely to experience or be perpetrators of intimate partner violence. This study evaluated factors hypothesized to be associated with acceptance of wife beating among 240 male and female adolescents aged 10-16 years participating in a World Vision program in Armenia. Acceptance of wife beating was associated with relational victimization, perceived social support, and parent and community boundaries and expectations, but was not associated with overt victimization or aggression. These findings highlight several areas that may be important for violence prevention research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated perceptions of victim culpability in sexual assaults against girls and women according to victim age, perceiver gender, and perceiver parental status. Overall, 420 jury-eligible participants completed an online survey recording their attributions of guilt, responsibility, and blame toward 10-, 15-, and 20-year-old girls and women in relation to sexual assault. Attributions of culpability were affected by whether the victim physically or verbally resisted the abuse, wore sexually revealing clothes, or was described as having acted promiscuously. Fifteen-year-old victims were perceived as more culpable for the abuse than 10-year-old victims. Implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utility of a narrative approach to identity and its role in psychological functioning are becoming increasingly recognized across various fields of inquiry. The current study aimed to develop a quantitative, self-report measure of the awareness of narrative identity and how globally coherent one’s autobiographical memories are perceived to be, specifically, in terms of temporal ordering, causal associations, and the perception of unifying themes. The construct validity and reliability of the Awareness of Narrative Identity Questionnaire (ANIQ) were assessed across three studies. In the first study, exploratory factor analysis of the responses of a large sample (N = 441, M [age in years] = 33.1, SD = 15.2) to an initial item pool resulted in a 20-item four-factor structure congruent with the proposed subscales, and convergent and divergent validity were established. In the second study, and with a different sample (N = 320, M [age in years] = 26.2, SD = 4.0), further evidence for the factor structure was provided through confirmatory factor analysis. Validity findings from Study 1 were replicated and extended on, and test–retest reliabilities were found to be high (r = .72-.79). Importantly, in the third study (N = 71, M [age in years] = 24.9, SD = 6.9), criterion validity was established, whereby the ANIQ subscales were demonstrated to be associated with dimensions of narrative coherence coded from written turning-point narratives. Across all studies, the internal reliabilities for the subscales were high (α = .86-.96). The ANIQ represents a valid, psychometrically sound, and novel method of assessing the awareness of narrative identity and autobiographical memory coherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is known to be associated with reduced autobiographical memory (AM) specificity; however, the relationship between anxiety symptoms and AM specificity has not been examined as thoroughly, with inconsistent findings. We sought to examine the association between general anxiety symptoms and AM specificity, and whether rumination and worry were potential mediators through which indirect associations may occur. Structural equation models were conducted using responses collected from 125 participants (Mage = 26.3,SD = 3, 48.4% female) who completed the Autobiographical Memory Test, Rumination on Sadness Scale, the anxiety subscale from the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and the Patient Health Questionnaire. Higher anxiety symptoms, independent of depressive symptoms, were associated with reduced AM specificity through increased rumination. Worry was not a predictor of reduced AM specificity or a mediator of anxiety. The findings extend our understanding of the association between anxiety and reduced AM specificity, and suggest that rumination may represent a mediating pathway between psychopathology and effects on AM that is transdiagnostic in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

BACKGROUND: The call centre industry has developed a reputation for generating a highly stressful work environment with high absenteeism and turnover rates. Research has identified role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload, and work-family conflict as common stressors in other settings. Call centre research has additionally identified performance monitoring, job design and job opportunities as call centre specific stressors. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: This study investigated the impact of the identified stressors on burnout, somatic symptomology, and turnover intent among 126 call centre representatives (CCRs) from 11 call centres in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. RESULTS: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses found that the common organizational stressors significantly explained between 10% and 53% of the variance in somatic symptomology, burnout (all 3 dimensions) and turnover intent. An additional amount of variance, between 6% and 22% in each of these dependent measures was significantly accounted for by the grouped call centre specific stressors. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, common organizational stressors and call centre specific stressors both significantly and independently contributed to burnout, somatic symptomology and turnover intent. These findings are discussed in relation to previous research, and suggestions for improved practice within call centres to safeguard the well-being of workers and for future research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) cause significant stress and distress to both aged-care residents and staff. This study evaluated a training program to assist staff to manage BPSD in residential care. Method:A randomised controlled trial (RCT) was employed. The study was included in the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Register residential care facilities. Staff (n= 204) and residents (n= 187) were from 16 residential care facilities. Facilities were recruited and randomly assigned to four staff training conditions: (1) training in the use of a BPSD-structured clinical protocol, plus external clinical support, (2) a workshop on BPSD, plus external clinical support, (3) training in the use of the structured clinical protocol alone, and (4) care as usual. Staff and resident outcome measures were obtained pre-intervention, three months and six months post-intervention. The primary outcome was changes in BPSD, measured using the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) as well as frequency and duration of challenging behaviors. Secondary outcomes were changes in staff adjustment. Results:There were improvements in challenging behaviors for both intervention conditions that included training in the BPSD instrument, but these were not maintained in the condition without clinical support. The training/support condition resulted in sustained improvements in both staff and resident variables, whereas the other conditions only led to improvement in some of the measured variables. Conclusion:These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the BPSD protocol in reducing BPSD and improving staff self-efficacy and stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim of the present study was to examine migration- and socioeconomic-related influences on obesity among African migrant adolescents in Melbourne, Australia. Methods Anthropometric data were collected from 99 parents and 100 adolescent offspring who also completed questionnaires eliciting demographic, socioeconomic and migration data. Multiple linear regressions were used to assess the relationship between migration- and socioeconomic-related factors and adolescent body mass index ( BMI). Results Only gender and parental BMI were associated with adolescent BMI after adjusting for adolescent age, adolescent gender, religion, parental BMI, parental education level and annual income. Boys (β = −1.45; P < 0.05) had lower BMI than girls. Parental and adolescent BMI were positively associated (β = 0.11; P < 0.05). In examining migration-related factors and adolescent BMI, after adjusting for gender and parental BMI, parental acculturation patterns and pre-migration life environment were associated with adolescent BMI, explaining, respectively, 6.5 and 4.0% of the variance in BMI. An integrated parental acculturation pattern was negatively associated with adolescent BMI (β = −0.17; P < 0.05) while adolescents whose parents came from rural areas had a higher BMI (β = 1.48; P < 0.05) than those whose parents came from urban areas. Adolescent acculturation patterns and length of stay in Australia were non-significantly associated with their BMI. Conclusions Gender, pre-migration life environment and parental acculturation patterns seem to influence the prevalence of overweight and obesity among African migrant adolescents. Culturally competent obesity prevention programmes targeted towards African adolescents should consider these aspects in their design and delivery; however, further research is required to determine their relative contributions to African adolescent obesity in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Although there are a number of studies examining the effect of migration on obesity, these studies tend to focus on the role of acculturation in this relationship. However, there are indications that the change in environment may also be an important factor. Indeed, there is a considerable lack of psychometric tools designed to assess the association between environment and health behaviour. The current study aimed to assess the literature on the link between environment and health for migrants, and on the basis of this information, design and develop the Migrant Obesogenic Perception of the Environment questionnaire (MOPEQ). The MOPE-Q is the first comprehensive measure of the impact of environmental factors on migrant health behaviour related to physical activity, food habits and body image concern, as well as weight change. Methods Using a systematic approach, an initial pool of items for the questionnaire was developed and refined on the basis of rigorous content and face validity assessments and factor analysis. Further, reliability tests and test re-test studies were undertaken. Differences between Iranian and Australian environmental factors as they relate to obesogenic behaviour were explored using the developed measure. Results A total of 36 items were developed for the MOPE-Q. Principal factor analysis identified three similar factor structures of environmental factors related to obesity (categorized in terms of facilitators, barriers and pressures) for each country. The final questionnaire consisted of four distinct subscales pertaining specifically to the Australian environment and five subscales pertaining to the Iranian environment, accounting for 59% and 63%, respectively, of the total variance in obesity rates. Data suggests that the MOPE-Q is a reliable and valid self-report measure for assessing the relationship between environmental factors linked to obesity and obesogenic behaviour for this particular migrant group. Conclusion The variations in environmental factors linked to obesity behaviour between home (Iran) and host (Australia) countries have been incorporated into the MOPE-Q instrument which has shown good psychometric properties. The MOPE-Q can be adapted and applied to other environments and populations to help explain changes in diet, physical activity patterns and body weight in migrant groups as they acculturate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many studies have investigated the concordance of parent and adolescent perspectives on family functioning, little research has been conducted on concordance between parents’ perspectives. In this study the authors investigated this issue in China. Each parent of 729 children attending elementary schools in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, completed a set of questionnaires including a version of the Chinese Family Assessment Instrument (C-FAI). Mother and father concordance was medium to strong for four of the five C-FAI subscales, suggesting that parents were generally in agreement with each other in their perceptions of family functioning. However, mothers reported significantly more family conflict than fathers when their child was a girl, and fathers reported significantly more control problems than mothers when the child was a boy. The findings are discussed in relation to the limitations of the study and the need for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a confirmatory factor analytic study of an adapted version of an instrument designed to assess family functioning of Chinese families. The Chinese Family Assessment Instrument, originally designed for completion by adolescents, was adapted for completion by parents. A sample of 700 parent dyads of elementary school children (382 girls and 318 boys) completed the adapted questionnaire. Initial factor analyses showed that the existing five-factor structure used for adolescents' responses was not a good fit for these data. Instead, a four-factor solution emerged where the factors were positive family functioning, negative family functioning, tolerance for family members, and parental understanding. This structure was the same for both mothers and fathers. Further studies of the Chinese Family Assessment Instrument parent adaptation are required to test the factor structure that emerged. Following such studies, validation studies will be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of an upward trend in divorce rates in Malaysia, this article explores the relationship between Malaysian young adults' perceptions of interparental conflict and their own attitudes toward divorce. Two questionnaires were administered to 160 young adults between 18 and 30 years old: the Attitude Towards Divorce Scale and the Perceptions of Interparental Conflict−Intensity/Frequency Scale. A positive relationship was found between perceived intensity and frequency of interparent conflict and attitudes toward divorce in males and females, respectively; however, the associations were weak. Future investigations of divorce need to take into consideration both the cultural factors that are influential within a society and how they shape gender norms within that population to gain a greater understanding of this relationship. Such investigations will increase the understanding of non-Western culture's unique interaction between attitudes and divorce, thus potentially aiding future efforts to strengthen marriages and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined, using data from the 2006 Victorian Child Health and Wellbeing Study (VCHWS), whether family functioning is associated with parental psychological distress and children's behavioural difficulties. The VCHWS was a statewide cross-sectional telephone survey to 5,000 randomly selected primary caregivers of 0- to 12-year-old children between October 2005 and March 2006. Only parents or guardians of children aged 4-12 years ( n = 3,370) were included in this study. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables and ethnicity, parents or guardians scoring higher on the family functioning scale (i.e., from poorly functioning households) were at greater risk of psychological distress and had children with lower levels of prosocial behaviour and higher levels of behavioural difficulties relative to those from healthily functioning households. Mental health prevention programmes addressing child mental and conduct problems should consider the family environment and target those families functioning poorly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We administered a paper-and-pencil questionnaire to 133 female and 99 male Japanese high school students 13-18 years old ( M = 15.9, SD = 1.57) from the Kansai area to examine cultural influences on their body image and body change behaviours. Our aim was to ascertain the independent and combined influences from traditional Japanese, modern Japanese, and Western values. Cluster analyses identified four 'acculturative' groups: 'anti-modern', 'traditional', 'pro-modern/anti-traditional', and 'pro- Western/anti- Japanese'. Pro-modern and pro- Western adolescents were most dissatisfied with their bodies, and pro-Western adolescents were also most likely to attempt weight loss. The results demonstrate the value of assessing cultural interactions in Japan along three dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of the Study: The aged care industry experiences high rates of staff turnover. Staff turnover has significant implications for the quality of care provided to care recipients and the financial costs to care agencies. In this study, we applied a model of intention to quit to identify the contextual and personal factors that shape aged care staff’s intention to quit. Design and Methods: A sample of 208 aged care staff, including nurses, personal care assistants, allied health professionals, and managers completed a self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed intention to quit, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, self-esteem, stressors, stress, and supervisor support. Results: The findings largely supported the model. Specifically, job commitment, job satisfaction, and work stressors directly influenced intentions to quit, although work stressors and supervisor support demonstrated numerous indirect associations on quitting intentions. Implications: The findings suggest that aged care service providers can modify aged care workers’ intentions to quit by reducing job stressors and increasing supervisor support. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The existence of a positive relationship between spiritual engagement and well-being is currently based on weak correlational evidence, generally in Western contexts. This study advances understanding through a naturalist, longitudinal study of 226 people, including Malays, Chinese, and Indians, experiencing the Hindu Thaipusam festival in Malaysia. We measured the subjective well-being of people with varying levels of engagement&emdash;from nonobservance or simply observing the festival to extreme engagement. Each person was assessed 3 months before, 2 weeks before, 2 weeks after, and 4 months after the festival. We found that the subjective well-being of those with the most extreme level of engagement was permanently higher than other groups. The well-being of those with a strong, but less extreme engagement rose at the time of the festival and remained elevated. The findings are discussed in relation to homeostatic theory of well-being and the potential benefits of spiritual engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression is a highly prevalent yet under-recognized and under-treated psychiatric illness in patients receiving palliative care. Nurses are the front-line health care professionals in these settings and are well-positioned to detect depressive symptoms and initiate pathways to care. Previous research suggests, however, that nurses' confidence and skills in relation to this task are low, and there appear to be a number of barriers within these settings that may impede nurses' engagement in this process. Methods: To further investigate these factors, a quantitative study was carried out with 69 palliative care nurses from three palliative care services in Australia. Results: A number of issues were identified, including the need for further training in the signs and symptoms of depression, issues around discussing depression with patients and their family members, and difficulty differentiating depressive symptoms from grief. Conclusion: These findings provide insight into specific areas in which palliative care nurses would benefit from further training to improve detection rates for depression in this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study examined knowledge of late-life depression among staff working in residential and community aged care settings, as well as their previous training in caring for older people with depression. Method: A sample of 320 aged care staff (mean age = 42 years) completed a survey questionnaire. Participants included direct care staff, registered nurses and Care Managers from nursing and residential homes and community aged care services. Results: Less than half of the participating aged care staff had received any training in depression, with particularly low rates in residential care. Although aware of the importance of engaging with depressed care recipients and demonstrating moderate knowledge of the symptoms of depression, a substantial proportion of staff members saw depression as a natural consequence of bereavement, aging or relocation to aged care. Conclusion: Experience in aged care appears to be insufficient for staff to develop high levels of knowledge of depression. Specific training in depression is recommended for staff working in aged care settings in order to improve the detection and management of late-life depression, particularly among direct carers, who demonstrated least knowledge of this common disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a relationship between volunteering and well-being has been demonstrated in numerous studies, well-being has generally been poorly operationalized and often defined by the relative absence of pathology. In this study, the authors take a positive approach to defining well-being and investigate the relationship between volunteering and personal and neighborhood well-being. The theoretical approach incorporates elements of the homeostatic model of well-being. A sample of 1,289 adults across Australia completed a questionnaire that assessed personal and neighborhood wellbeing, personality factors, and the psychosocial resources implicated in the homeostatic model of well-being. Analyses reveal that volunteers had higher personal and neighborhood well-being than nonvolunteers and that volunteering contributed additional variance in well-being even after psychosocial and personality factors were accounted for. The findings are discussed in terms of previous research and the homeostatic model of well-being, and it is argued that the relationship between volunteering and well-being is robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been widely adopted as a measure of child and adolescent mental health and behavioral problems. However, despite an impressive number of studies demonstrating its psychometric properties, appropriate analyses of the instrument's underlying structure have not been reported. We conducted confirmatory factor analyses on matched data obtained from a large community sample of 7-17-year-olds, their parents, and their teachers. The analyses indicated that the reputed factor structure was not supported, with none of the subscales being unidimensional. Further, each informant group appeared to respond differently to the questionnaire. Considering the findings in relation to the stringency of the tests used to evaluate the SDQ, its utility, and previous research on its clinical validity, it is suggested that the SDQ be used with caution and in conjunction with other forms of assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of the study To date, no research has investigated how the organizational climate of aged care influences the self-efficacy of staff in caring for residents with dementia, or, how self-efficacy is associated with the strain experienced by staff. This study sought to investigate the extent to which the self-efficacy of aged care staff mediates the association between organizational climate variables (such as autonomy, trusting and supportive workplace relations, and the recognition of competence and ability, and perceptions of workplace pressure) and staff strain. Design and methods A cross-sectional survey design was implemented in which 255 residential aged care staff recruited across aged care facilities in Melbourne, Australia. Staff completed self-report measures of organizational climate, self-efficacy, and strains in caring for residents with dementia. Results Indirect effects analyses using bootstrapping indicated that self-efficacy of staff mediated the association between the organizational climate variables of autonomy, trust, support, pressure, and staff strain. Implications The findings of this study emphasize that the aged care sector needs to target organizational climate variables that enhance the self-efficacy of staff, and that this in turn, can help ameliorate the strain experienced by staff caring for residents experiencing dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of Problem-Solving Treatment for Primary Care (PST-PC) delivered by low-vision rehabilitation (LVR) practitioners to adult clients with depressive symptoms. Design/Method: A single-group pre/postintervention study. Eighteen adult LVR clients with depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9] score of =5) received 6-8 weekly telephone sessions of PST-PC delivered by expertly trained practitioners (n = 14). Feasibility was determined via participating client and practitioner recruitment and intervention retention rates. Depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), health-related quality of life (HRQoL; Assessment of QoL Instrument-7D), and confidence in one's ability to cope using problem-solving strategies (Coping Self-Efficacy Scale) were assessed using pre/posttelephone assessments. Results: Participating client recruitment and retention rates were 71% and 40%, respectively. Seventy percent of practitioners completed supervised training in PST-PC and demonstrated satisfactory levels of fidelity and competency. Postintervention, we observed a 53% improvement in depressive symptoms (p < .001), a 23% improvement in HRQoL (p = .001), and an 18% improvement in participants' confidence to use problem-focused coping strategies (p = .001). Conclusions: Telephone-PST-PC delivered by a trained LVR practitioner may be an effective intervention for clients of LVR services who exhibit depressive symptoms. A randomized controlled trial is now needed to confirm these preliminary findings and establish longer-term effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]