Psychiatry - Theses
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ItemThe effects of immigration and resettlement on the mental health of South-Asian communities in Melbourne( 2006-02)This research explores the relationship between immigration experiences and psychological well-being within the Indian and Bangladeshi communities in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. The researcher conducted individual in-depth interviews with thirty-eight adult Australian permanent residents/citizens born in India and Bangladesh with the aim of examining personal post-migration accounts of adjustment, acculturation and coping in a foreign society and the effect on their mental health. Through qualitative analysis, the personal experiences and stories of South-Asian migrants and the psychological consequences of resettlement in Australia are explored. The study investigated coping strategies and psychosocial protective mechanisms and explored factors relevant to both successful and unsuccessful resettlement, and their relationship to psychological well-being. The results indicated that social and emotional disconnection, isolation and alienation, lack of recognition of professional skills, experiences of racism and discrimination, cultural incongruity, feelings of cultural uprooting and inadequate English language competency, all may contribute to psychological distress, difficulties in adjustment to life in Australia and in some cases, repatriation to the country of origin.
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ItemThe implementation and evaluation of telecounselling as a treatment modality for problem gambling( 2000-07)There is an extensive range of problems and maladaptive behaviours for which people may seek counselling. One of these is problem gambling. The extent of gambling in the community and the incidence of gambling problems have become issues of great concern to many in the Australian community. Counselling in the face-to-face setting may not be available or appropriate for some individuals with gambling difficulties. Potential barriers to the provision of counselling services for problem gamblers means that innovative techniques for counselling service delivery must be developed and evaluated. Provision of counselling services using modern telecommunications technology is one such innovative strategy. (For complete abstract open document)
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ItemPsychosocial mechanisms underlying cultural differences in depressive and anxiety illness symptom reporting and presentation: comparison of Greek-born immigrants and Anglo-Australians( 2003)The current research included three studies: a survey exploring psychological factors that may underly cultural differences in illness reporting and presentation; and a qualitative and a quantitative study exploring cultural differences in illness schemas. The purpose of the work is to examine the importance of a wide variety of factors that may underly cultural differences in the presentation and reporting of depression and anxiety. The total sample of respondents consisted of 221 Greek-born and 239 Anglo-Australian people (mean age 65 yrs). First, Greek-born people reported higher levels of depression (as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-2, BD1-2) and anxiety (as measured by the State Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI) and higher levels of stress, trait negative affectivity, illness concern, impression management, self-focused attention and stigma. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that all explanatory variables were significant unique predictors of at least one BDI-2 and/or STAI measure when controlling for confounding variables such as socio-economic status, age and gender. Overall, Trait Negative Affectivity (TNA) was the most stable and consistent predictor of the BDI-2 and STAI scores for both birthplace groups. Conceptual similarities appear to exist for the causes and important symptoms components of illness schemas between mental and physical problems for the Greek-born. For the Anglo-Australians, similarities exist for the course and development, consequences and therapy components of illness schemas between mental, physical and social problems. The propensity to report particular types of symptoms to a doctor appeared to also be affected by illness schemas. Findings suggest that different presentation of depression and anxiety across cultures may be better understood by the degree to which processes underlying symptom reporting may be salient in different cultures.