Social Work - Research Publications
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ItemManaging stress and anxiety through qigong exercise in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials(BMC, 2014-01-10)BACKGROUND: An increasing number of studies have documented the effectiveness of qigong exercise in helping people reduce psychological stress and anxiety, but there is a scarcity of systematic reviews evaluating evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted among healthy subjects. METHODS: Thirteen databases were searched for RCTs from their inception through June 2013. Effects of qigong exercise were pooled across trials. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated for the pooled effects. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 test. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane criteria. RESULTS: Seven RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Two RCTs suggested that qigong exercise immediately relieved anxiety among healthy adults, compared to lecture attendance and structured movements only. Four RCTs suggested qigong exercise relieved anxiety (pooled SMD = -0.75; 95% CI, -1.11 to -0.40), and three RCTs suggested that qigong exercise reduced stress (pooled SMD = -0.88; 95% CI, -1.22 to -0.55) among healthy subjects following one to three months of qigong practice, compared to wait-list controls. CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence suggests that qigong exercise reduces stress and anxiety in healthy adults. However, given the limited number of RCTs and their methodological flaws, further rigorously designed RCTs are needed.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableDaytime Function in Mind-Body Treatment of Cocurrent Sleep and Mood Disturbances(Oxford University Press (OUP), 2017-04-28)Introduction: Both sleep disturbances and depressive mood are closely associated with wide-range daytime dysfunctions. Yet limited study closely investigates daytime functioning variables after treatments for sleep disturbances either coexisting with or without depressive mood. Methods: Participants Participants were 185 individual with co-existing sleep and mood disturbances (92 in I-BMS; 93 in WLC). Daytime functioning variables were measured by items from Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-day) indicating daytime dysfunctions, Somatic subscale from Somatic Symptom Inventory (SSI), Anxiety subscale from Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) represented by Mental and Physical Component scores (MCS and PCS). Data were collected at baseline, post-treatment (8 weeks) and three-month follow-up. Multiple imputations were firstly conducted to evaluate effect size of each daytime variables after treatments. Then, regression analyses were used to reveal associations between daytime variables at follow-up and previous changes in nighttime sleep qualities (PSQI-Night) and mood (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression after minus sleep item- CESD-M) at post-treatment respectively. At last, path analyses were used to understand interplays among daytime functioning, sleep and mood. Results: We found that there was a small to large between-group effect size (0.20–0.70) on daytime functioning and a medium to large within-group effect size (0.53–0.89) in the I-BMS group. After adjusting for group and baseline scores, CESD-M was the most important predictor of daytime functioning. PSQI-day was associated with both PSQI-nightand CESD-M. Path analyses indicated that PSQI-day bridged PSQI-night and CESD-M in a 2-way direction (Χ2=12.36, p=0.34, df=11, Χ2/df=1.1; RMSEA=0.026; CFI=0.989; TLI=0.980; Χ2=12.10, p=0.36, df=11, Χ2/df=1.1; RMSEA=0.023; CFI=0.991; TLI=0.983). Conclusion: Among subjects with co-existing sleep and depressive symptoms, improvement in daytime functioning was predominantly related to improvement in depressive symptoms. Nighttime sleep only related to daytime dysfunction that was specific to sleep disturbances. The phenomenon could be regarded as a primary link. More works are required to understand “sleep-specific” daytime impairments and their roles in the course of concurrent sleep and mood disturbances.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableBeyond Professional Competence: Effect of Equanimity on the Professional Quality of Life Among Health-Care Professionals Working in Perinatal Bereavement Support(SAGE Publications, 2016-04)Health-care professionals who offer perinatal bereavement support often encountered numerous stressful events in daily practices. Secondary trauma and burnout related to psychological distress are not uncommon. Literatures suggested that further skill training enhances perceived self-competence thus lowering such traumatic impact. Nevertheless, equanimity, an emerging concept in professional development, which is characterized by a sense of unflappability and resilience in face of challenges, is an indispensable element in protecting the well-being of health-care professionals. The current study aimed to examine the role of equanimity and perceived self-competence on professional quality of life among health-care professionals. A city-wide survey study was conducted among 101 individuals who offered perinatal bereavement support at tertiary care institutions in Hong Kong. Perceived self-competence was positively associated with compassion satisfaction (β = .380, p < .001, CI = 0. 038, 0.131) and negatively correlated to burnout (β = −.439, p < .001, CI = −0.148, −0.055), in which both relationships were moderated by the level of equanimity, that is, the impact of perceived self-competence on professional quality of life was only significant among individuals with higher level of equanimity. It implied that perinatal bereavement training should integrate not only knowledge and skills but also component of equanimity training to facilitate the capacity building among frontline health-care professionals.
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ItemIntegrative body-mind-spirit intervention for concurrent sleep and mood disturbances: sleep-specific daytime functioning mediates sleep and mood improvements(WILEY, 2018-02)Sleep disturbances and depressive symptoms are associated closely with daytime dysfunctions, yet few studies have investigated their temporal relationship in a randomized controlled trial. We investigated the inter-relationships among sleep, depressive symptoms and daytime functioning following an integrative body-mind-spirit (I-BMS) intervention. One hundred and eighty-five participants (mean age 55.28 years, 75.1% female) with co-existing sleep and depressive symptoms were randomized to I-BMS or waiting-list. Daytime functioning variables included the daytime dysfunction items of the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-day), Somatic Symptom Inventory, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale and Short Form Health Survey collected at baseline, post-treatment and 3-month follow-up. Sleep and depressive symptoms were measured by the sleep items of the PSQI (PSQI-night) and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (excluding the sleep item) (CESD-M). Regression and path analyses were used to understand the role of daytime functioning in sleep and depressive symptoms. We found significant group and time effects on almost all daytime variables and significant group × time interactions on PSQI-day and somatic symptoms. The adjusted regression model showed that CESD-M was associated with all daytime variables. However, PSQI-night was associated only with PSQI-day. Path analyses indicated that PSQI-day bridged PSQI-night and CESD-M in a two-way direction after the I-BMS intervention. The conclusion was that, following I-BMS intervention, improvement in daytime functioning was related predominantly to improvement in depressive symptoms. Night-time sleep related only to daytime dysfunction that was specific to sleep disturbances. Therefore, 'sleep-specific daytime impairment' could be regarded as a major link from night-time sleep to depressive symptoms. More studies are required to understand the concept of 'sleep-specific daytime impairment'.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableFrom entanglement to equanimity: an application of a holistic healing approach into social work practice with infertile couples(Taylor & Francis, 2017-04-07)This international volume provides a comprehensive account of contemporary research, new perspectives and cutting-edge issues surrounding religion and spirituality in social work.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableIntegrative Body-Mind-Spirit Social Work: An Empirically Based Approach to Assessment and Treatment(Oxford University Press, 2018)The second edition represents a major revision from the original book, featuring numerous case studies and a robust companion website including demonstration videos and reproducible client handouts.
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ItemNot For Me: Older Adults Choosing Not to Participate in a Social Isolation Intervention(Association for Computing Machinery, 2016-05)This paper considers what we can learn from the experiences of people who choose not to participate in technology-based social interventions. We conducted ethnographically-informed field studies with socially isolated older adults, who used and evaluated a new iPad application designed to help build new social connections. In this paper we reflect on how the values and assumptions guiding the technological intervention were not always shared by those participating in the evaluation. Drawing on our field notes and interviews with the older adults who chose to discontinue participation, we use personas to illustrate the complexities and tensions involved in individual decisions to not participate. This analysis contributes to HCI research calling for a more critical perspective on technological interventions. We provide detailed examples highlighting the complex circumstances of our non-participants' lives, present a framework that outlines the socio-technical context of non-participation, and use our findings to promote reflective practice in HCI research that aims to address complex social issues.
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ItemAgile housing for an ageing Australia(The Architectural Science Association and The University of Adelaide, 2016)By 2055, Australia’s 65+ population will have doubled and, if current strategies are followed, it is likely that the housing available will be inappropriate. Today’s housing stock will still be in use yet few developers and designers are capitalising on the potential of agile housing and, more broadly, the creation of age-friendly neighbourhoods. Current changes in design and prefabrication technology, along with government initiatives for ageing at home in preference to institutional care, have the potential to transform the way we consider housing design to support changing demographics. This research considers agile housing for an ageing population from the perspectives of urban planning, design, prefabrication, sustainability, life-cycle costing and social gerontology. We highlight the need for interdisciplinary perspectives in order to consider how entrenched policy, planning, design and construction practices can be encouraged to change through advocacy, design speculation and scenario testing to deliver right-sized housing. A cradle-to-grave perspective requires the exploration of the social and practical benefits of housing in multigenerational communities. This research links to concurrent work on affordable housing solutions and the potential of an industry, government and academic partnership to present an Australian Housing Exposition, that will highlight the possibilities of a more agile housing approach.
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ItemPerceived needs of carers of people with psychosis: An Australian longitudinal population-based study of caregivers of people with psychotic disorders(Wiley - John Wiley & Sons, 2018-01-01)
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ItemEat to Cheat Dementia(WILEY, 2017-06)