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1.
BMC Med Res Methodol ; 23(1): 118, 2023 05 16.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37194009

BACKGROUND: Data-sharing is increasingly encouraged or required by funders and journals. Data-sharing is more complicated for lifecourse studies that rely upon ongoing participation, but little is known about perspectives on data-sharing among participants of such studies. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore perspectives on data-sharing of participants in a birth cohort study. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study when aged between 45 and 48 years. Interviews were led by the Director of the Dunedin Study and involved questions about different scenarios for data-sharing. The sample consisted of nine Dunedin Study members who are Maori (the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa/New Zealand) and 16 who are non-Maori. RESULTS: Principles of grounded theory were applied to develop a model of participant perspectives on data-sharing. The model consists of three factors that inform a core premise that a one-size-fits-all approach to data-sharing will not suffice in lifecourse research. Participants suggested that data-sharing decisions should depend on the cohort and might need to be declined if any one Dunedin Study member was opposed (factor 1). Participants also expressed a proven sense of trust in the researchers and raised concerns about loss of control once data have been shared (factor 2). Participants described a sense of balancing opportunities for public good against inappropriate uses of data, highlighting variability in perceived sensitivity of data, and thus a need to take this into account if sharing data (factor 3). CONCLUSIONS: Communal considerations within cohorts, loss of control over shared data, and concerns about inappropriate uses of shared data need to be addressed through detailed informed consent before data-sharing occurs for lifecourse studies, particularly where this has not been established from the start of the study. Data-sharing may have implications for the retention of participants in these studies and thus may impact on the value of long-term sources of knowledge about health and development. Researchers, ethics committees, journal editors, research funders, and government policymakers need to consider participants' views when balancing the proposed benefits of data-sharing against the potential risks and concerns of participants in lifecourse research.


Information Dissemination , Informed Consent , Humans , Middle Aged , Cohort Studies , Grounded Theory , Qualitative Research
2.
J Public Health (Oxf) ; 45(2): e225-e233, 2023 Jun 14.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36468999

BACKGROUND: Past studies have demonstrated better mental health and well-being among transgender youth who had accessed gender-affirming care. However, few existing studies have assessed unmet need for gender-affirming care as a social determinant of mental health inequities. METHODS: Data on unmet need for gender-affirming care, distress and suicidality were analysed from the 2018 Counting Ourselves nationwide community-based survey of transgender people in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Associations between unmet need for gender-affirming care and mental health indicators were tested for transgender youth within the sample (aged 14-26 years; n = 608; Mage = 20.5). RESULTS: Transgender youth reported unmet needs ranging from 42% for gender-affirming hormone to 100% for feminizing surgeries and voice surgeries. Overall unmet need for gender-affirming care was associated with worse mental health. Trans men with an unmet need for chest reconstruction (84%) scored an average of 7.13 points higher on the K10 Psychological Distress Scale relative to those whose need had been met. Participants reporting unmet need for hormones (42%) had twice the odds (adjusted odds ratios = 2.01; CI = 1.02-3.98) of having attempted suicide in the last 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Dismantling barriers to accessing gender-affirming care could play a crucial role in reducing mental health inequities faced by transgender youth.


Transgender Persons , Male , Humans , Adolescent , Transgender Persons/psychology , New Zealand/epidemiology , Social Determinants of Health , Mental Health , Surveys and Questionnaires
3.
J Health Psychol ; 28(2): 103-106, 2023 02.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35733411

The body-positive movement (#bodypositive) champions body acceptance by celebrating a diverse - visual - array of body types and shapes online. Sparked out of collective resistance to unrealistic bodies on social media, the #bodypositive community has assembled a considerable following: having now surpassed one billion engagements on Instagram. To mark this milestone, we highlight the problem, the promise, and the peril of image-focused movements on Instagram. On balance, we argue #bodypositive content on Instagram likely has a positive impact. As the movement continues to grow though, advocates can look to strengthen the content's positive impact with some careful, research-informed, messaging adjustments.


Body Image , Social Media , Humans , Social Participation
4.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36497912

University students globally are consistently identified as a vulnerable group for mental distress and suicide. Despite this, students report low engagement in help-seeking behaviours. This series of studies aimed to assess barriers to help-seeking for students and the impact of an intervention that sought to increase support-seeking intentions. In Study 1, 373 undergraduate psychology students completed items related to depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, stigma, and help-seeking intentions. In Study 2, 133 undergraduate psychology students were randomly allocated into one of three intervention groups (control, infographic, video) and completed measures as used in Study 1. Despite experiencing clinically relevant symptoms and recent suicidal ideation, students in Study 1 tended to report low intentionality to seek help, citing perceptions that their distress was not serious enough or a desire to handle their issues independently. In Study 2, an infographic about different support services increased student's intentions to access support services and reduced their perception that their issues were not serious enough. Overall, Aotearoa New Zealand students endorsed similar barriers to help-seeking as students in other countries. Importantly, we demonstrated that a simple infographic intervention reduced perceptions regarding these common barriers and may increase students' knowledge about when to seek help.


Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Suicidal Ideation , Humans , Intention , New Zealand , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/psychology , Students/psychology
5.
N Z Med J ; 135(1562): 56-62, 2022 09 23.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36137767

AIMS: This study examines the help-seeking behaviours of cisgender women, cisgender men and gender-diverse university students who have experienced sexual harm. METHODS: We examine an existing data set from a cross-sectional survey of experiences of sexual harm among university students. Bivariate analyses were used to analyse the type of sexual harm experienced and subsequent help-seeking behaviours. RESULTS: Although more cisgender women reported experiencing sexual harm, data from this survey demonstrates cisgender men and gender-diverse persons also report experiencing sexual harm. Of those who reported having experienced sexual harm, only a small proportion (27%) reported having told someone about their experience. People who told, most often told family or friends. Additionally, a small proportion of cisgender women told specialised sexual violence services or other services. Cisgender men were less likely to tell someone about their experience compared to cisgender women. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual harm affects students of all genders on campus but there may be differential help-seeking behaviours depending on gender. Cisgender men and gender-diverse persons may be less likely to reach out to formal service providers. Support services need to consider how to accommodate the support needs of all survivors, including cisgender men and gender-diverse persons.


Sex Offenses , Transgender Persons , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Gender Identity , Humans , Male , New Zealand , Sexual Behavior
6.
N Z Med J ; 135(1559): 59-72, 2022 08 05.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35999782

AIM: This study aims to report primary care experiences among transgender people in Aotearoa New Zealand based on quantitative and qualitative data from a nationwide community-based survey of transgender people. METHODS: Subsamples with a usual general practitioner were employed from the 2018 Counting Ourselves Survey (n=871) and the 2018/19 New Zealand Health Survey to assess inequities between these samples in primary care experiences and barriers. Guided by Andersen's Behavioural Model of healthcare access, we conducted a content analysis on comments from Counting Ourselves participants (n=153) to identify themes about issues of concern for transgender people when accessing primary care. RESULTS: Transgender participants had greater risk of feeling no confidence in their GPs (Mdifference=0.22; Cohen's d=0.39), reporting barriers accessing primary care due to cost (38.4% vs 17.4%; RR=2.21), and transport issues (13.5% vs 3.0%; RR=4.58) compared to the general population. Content analysis uncovered how transgender people's primary care experiences are shaped by healthcare environments, predisposing characteristics, and enabling resources. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate ways to ensure primary care services are inclusive so that all transgender people feel welcome. This requires all primary healthcare professionals to demonstrate core trans-specific cultural safety when providing healthcare to transgender patients.


Transgender Persons , Transsexualism , Health Services Accessibility , Humans , New Zealand , Primary Health Care
7.
Int J Transgend Health ; 23(3): 334-354, 2022.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35799950

Background: It is well established that transgender people experience considerable health inequities, which are sustained in part by limited teaching about transgender healthcare for trainee health professionals. Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of both teaching staff from health professional education programmes and transgender community members on the best ways to teach about transgender healthcare, with a focus on ways of: 1) overcoming barriers to this teaching; and 2) involving community members in this teaching. Methods: A research advisory committee was convened to guide the project and included transgender community members, teaching staff from health professional programmes, and trainee health professionals in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Three preliminary focus groups were held with 10 transgender community members. These community members were then invited to act as transgender community 'ambassadors' in focus groups with teaching staff based on suggestions from the advisory committee. Six focus groups were conducted with 22 teaching staff from a range of health professional education programmes along with at least two transgender community ambassadors. Results: Teaching staff positioned themselves as lacking the expertise to teach about transgender healthcare but also as expert teachers when applying methods such as small group teaching. Transgender participants also positioned themselves as having expertise arising primarily from their own experiences and acknowledged that effective teaching about transgender healthcare would need to cover a diversity of transgender identities and healthcare outside their own experiences. Teaching staff and transgender community members were keen to pool expertise and thus overcome the shared sense of lacking the expertise to teach about transgender healthcare. Discussion: These findings provide insights into the current barriers to teaching about transgender healthcare and provide future directions for staff development on teaching about transgender healthcare and ways of safely involving transgender community members in teaching.

8.
Fam Pract ; 39(5): 834-842, 2022 09 24.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35259758

BACKGROUND: Past research has established that transgender people experience significant disparities in mental health outcomes and healthcare dissatisfaction compared with cisgender people, but more research is needed on how supportive healthcare interactions relate to the mental health of transgender people. OBJECTIVES: The 2 main aims of our analyses were: (i) to establish the most common negative experiences in healthcare and the most common supportive experiences specifically with primary care doctors for transgender people; and (ii) to examine the association of supportive experiences with mental health variables after controlling for demographic factors. METHODS: Data from the 2018 Counting Ourselves nationwide survey of transgender people were analysed using regression modelling. The 948 participants with a primary care doctor or general practitioner were included in analyses. Participants were aged 14-83 years old (mean 30.20). RESULTS: The most common supportive experiences involved primary care doctors treating transgender people equitably, with competence, and with respect. Participants with more negative healthcare experiences had higher psychological distress as well as higher likelihood of reporting nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidality. Conversely, participants with more experiences of supportive primary care doctors had lower psychological distress and were less likely to have attempted suicide in the past 12 months. CONCLUSION: When transgender people receive supportive care from their primary care providers they experience better mental health, despite ongoing negative healthcare experiences. Future research is needed to confirm ways of supporting positive trajectories of mental health for transgender people but these findings demonstrate the importance of positive aspects of care.


Sexual and Gender Minorities , Transgender Persons , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Humans , Mental Health , Middle Aged , New Zealand , Primary Health Care , Transgender Persons/psychology , Young Adult
9.
Musculoskeletal Care ; 20(2): 290-298, 2022 06.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34388290

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all aspects of life and may raise particular fears for people with rheumatic disease. There is a need for research on fears and perceived risk of SARS-CoV-2 so as to understand the impact on wellbeing and inform service provision. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the correlates of COVID-19 fears and perceived risk of SARS-CoV-2 among people with rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey design was applied in Aotearoa New Zealand in the period after initial nationwide lockdowns. METHOD: An online survey was completed from July to September 2020 by 126 individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 96) or ankylosing spondylitis (n = 30) who had previously been recruited to the Patient Opinion Real-Time Anonymous Liaison (PORTAL) study in 2015 or 2018. The survey included demographics and health information as well as measures of COVID-19 fears and experiences, functional disability and fatigue-related disability. RESULTS: Fears about COVID-19 were higher among younger participants, those who had been tested for SARS-CoV-2, and those who experienced more flares over the initial lockdown. Perceived risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection was also higher among individual who had been tested for SARS-CoV-2 and those taking biologic medications. CONCLUSION: Fears about COVID-19 and perceived risk of infection are related to age, health and medications among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis. These findings inform how health professionals can help address the concerns of particular groups of people with rheumatic disease by providing relevant information about the ongoing effects of the pandemic.


Arthritis, Rheumatoid , COVID-19 , Rheumatic Diseases , Spondylitis, Ankylosing , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/epidemiology , COVID-19/epidemiology , Communicable Disease Control , Cross-Sectional Studies , Fear , Humans , New Zealand/epidemiology , Pandemics , Rheumatic Diseases/drug therapy , SARS-CoV-2 , Spondylitis, Ankylosing/drug therapy , Spondylitis, Ankylosing/epidemiology
10.
J Interpers Violence ; 37(3-4): 1311-1337, 2022 02.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32468917

This qualitative study explores the experiences of men who self-report victimization from a female intimate partner in four English-speaking countries. Forty-one men who reported any type of intimate partner abuse (IPA) from a female partner were recruited via targeted advertising in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Twelve online focus groups were conducted across countries using a phenomenologically informed design. Thematic analysis was carried out from an inductive and realist epistemological position and themes identified at a semantic level. This approach was taken to directly reflect the men's experiences and perspectives, ensuring the voices of this hard-to-reach and overlooked population were heard. Three themes were identified across the countries: an imbalanced experience of harm; living with sustained abuse; and knowledge is power for men experiencing IPA. It was found that most participants underwent physical harm in the context of coercive control and experienced abuse over long periods of time. They were slow to recognize the magnitude of their partners' behavior and act upon it for a range of reasons that are described in detail. In addition, promoting knowledge about the victimization of men by women, using appropriate language and active learning, was found to be important in helping the men gain autonomy and agency to break the pattern of abuse and aid their recovery. The implications of the findings for developing male-friendly IPA policy, practice, and services are discussed, in addition to the need for innovative research methodology to access hard-to-reach populations.


Intimate Partner Violence , Language , Female , Humans , Male , Men , Sexual Behavior , Sexual Partners , United States
11.
Int J Transgend Health ; 22(3): 269-280, 2021.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34240070

INTRODUCTION: International evidence has found large mental health inequities among transgender people and demonstrates that mental health outcomes are associated with enacted stigma experiences and protective factors. This study aimed to examine the extent of associations of enacted stigma experiences specific to transgender people alongside protective factors with mental health of transgender people in Aotearoa/New Zealand. METHODS: The 2018 Counting Ourselves survey was a nationwide community-based study of transgender people (N = 1178, Mage = 29.5) living in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The survey assessed a wide range of gender minority stress experiences and protective factors that comprised primary (support from friends and family) and secondary social ties (neighborhood and transgender community belongingness). We calculated the predicted probabilities that transgender people exhibit very high psychological distress level, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicidal risks with different combinations and exposure profiles of enacted stigma and protective factors. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrated that enacted stigma was associated with negative mental health, and support of friends and family was linked to better outcomes across all mental health measures. Beyond primary social ties, sense of belongingness to neighborhood and transgender communities were linked to reduced odds of psychological distress and suicidal ideation. For those scoring high on enacted stigma and low on protective factors, our model revealed a 25% probability of attempting suicide in the last year compared to 3% for those scoring low on enacted stigma and high on protective factors. CONCLUSIONS: Echoing previous findings, this study demonstrates that transgender people across Aotearoa/New Zealand are less likely to manifest life-threatening mental health outcomes if they experience low levels of enacted stigma and high levels of access to protective factors. Our findings suggest a need to address the enacted stigma that transgender people face across interpersonal and structural settings, and also to enhance social supports that are gender affirmative for this population.

12.
Rheumatol Int ; 41(10): 1763-1772, 2021 Oct.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34297180

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of lockdown on the mental health (anxiety and depression) and quality of life (QOL) of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and public health measures instituted at a national level by the New Zealand Government. The present cohort was 104 individuals with RA (73.1%) and AS (26.9%) who had previously completed surveys for the Patient Opinion Real-Time Anonymous Liaison (PORTAL) project in 2018. Participants completed an online survey between July and September 2020 assessing their experiences over the first national COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand (March-May, 2020). Fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection, baseline anxiety, and being younger in age were all predictors of participants' current anxiety levels. Current QOL scores were significantly lower than prior to lockdown and were predicted by baseline QOL and current depression. No variables predicted current depression other than baseline levels. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had an impact on QOL and anxiety levels, but not depression for people with RA and AS in New Zealand. These novel findings imply that appropriate screening of mental health issues should be included in planning within the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and for future pandemics to optimise the wellbeing of people with RA and AS.


Anxiety/psychology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/psychology , Depression/psychology , Quality of Life , Spondylitis, Ankylosing/psychology , Adult , Aged , Anxiety/epidemiology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/epidemiology , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/psychology , Communicable Disease Control/legislation & jurisprudence , Depression/epidemiology , Fear/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Health , Middle Aged , New Zealand , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , Spondylitis, Ankylosing/epidemiology , Surveys and Questionnaires
13.
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) ; 73(9): 1282-1289, 2021 09.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32339390

OBJECTIVE: Fatigue is common among people with inflammatory arthritis but is hard to manage. The aim of this study was to investigate how daily fluctuations in psychological variables correspond with changes in fatigue-related disability in the daily lives of people with inflammatory arthritis and to identify factors to target in psychological interventions and routine clinical practice. METHODS: A cohort of 143 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 97) or ankylosing spondylitis (n = 46) participated in a 10-day online diary study. Each evening participants completed a diary questionnaire assessing their fatigue, pain, fatigue-related disability, and 4 components of psychological flexibility (valued activity, mindfulness, cognitive fusion, and fatigue avoidance). RESULTS: On days when participants were more engaged in valued activities or more mindful, they reported less disability due to fatigue, even when controlling for levels of fatigue and pain that day. The daily psychological flexibility variables explained a total of 15.6% of the variance in daily fatigue-related disability. CONCLUSION: Psychological flexibility variables are directly associated with fatigue-related disability in the daily lives of inflammatory arthritis patients. Further research is needed to investigate whether interventions that target psychological flexibility are effective at reducing fatigue-related disability.


Arthritis, Rheumatoid/diagnosis , Disability Evaluation , Fatigue/diagnosis , Spondylitis, Ankylosing/diagnosis , Activities of Daily Living , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/physiopathology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/psychology , Avoidance Learning , Cognition , Diaries as Topic , Fatigue/physiopathology , Fatigue/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Health , Middle Aged , Mindfulness , Pain Measurement , Predictive Value of Tests , Spondylitis, Ankylosing/physiopathology , Spondylitis, Ankylosing/psychology , Time Factors , Young Adult
14.
Patient ; 14(5): 505-532, 2021 09.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33336324

OBJECTIVES: Optimal care of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients entails regular assessment of disease activity and appropriate adjustment of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) until a predefined treatment goal is achieved. This raises questions about the approach to treatment decision making among RA patients and their preference for associated treatment changes. We aimed to systematically identify and synthesize the available evidence of RA patients' preferences regarding DMARD modification with an emphasis on escalating, tapering, stopping, or switching of DMARDs. METHODS: A scoping review was undertaken to gauge the breadth of evidence from the range of studies relating to RA patients' preferences for DMARD modification. Pertinent databases were searched for relevant studies published between 1988 and 2019. Conventional content analysis was applied to generate themes about how patients perceive changes to their RA treatment. RESULTS: Of the 1730 distinct articles identified, 32 were included for review. Eight studies investigated RA patients' perceptions of switching to other DMARDs, 18 studies reported RA patients' preferences for escalating treatment, and six studies explored the possibility of tapering or stopping of biologic DMARDs. Four overarching themes relating to RA patients' preferences for treatment modification were identified: (i) patient satisfaction, (ii) patients' beliefs, (iii) information needs, and (iv) patient-clinician relationships. CONCLUSION: Uptake of treatment changes in clinical practice can be improved by understanding how RA patients approach the decision to modify their treatment and how this relates to their satisfaction, beliefs, information needs, and relationships with clinicians. Future work is needed to systematically determine the significance of these factors in RA patients' decision-making processes.


Antirheumatic Agents , Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Antirheumatic Agents/therapeutic use , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy , Databases, Factual , Humans
15.
Psychol Health ; 36(6): 649-668, 2021 06.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32998598

OBJECTIVE: Previous research on body image has tended to overlook what contributes to positive body image. The aim of the present study was to explore the perspectives of female undergraduate students with positive body image. DESIGN: Nineteen young women who were studying at a New Zealand university (mean age 19.61) and self-reported positive body image participated in focus groups discussing body image. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Thematic analysis resulted in four themes. RESULTS: The young women described a positive shift in body image that occurred between adolescence and early adulthood (theme 1). They were critical of messages about the female body within media and made conscious decisions about media they engage with (theme 2). They expressed a functional conceptualisation of their bodies and had strategies for responding to negative thoughts and feelings (theme 3). Religious and cultural identity played a specific role in body positivity for some participants (theme 4). CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the developmental nature of positive body image and the role of adopting critical awareness when engaging with media. The findings support and elaborate on previous research suggesting that those with positive body image utilise a body-protective filter and demonstrate novel aspects of young women's body positivity.


Body Image , Body Image/psychology , Female , Focus Groups , Humans , New Zealand , Students/psychology , Students/statistics & numerical data , Universities , Young Adult
16.
N Z Med J ; 133(1523): 55-64, 2020 10 09.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33032303

AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the number and correlates of sexual assault among students at a campus-based university in Aotearoa New Zealand and to determine how often students disclose such experiences to health professionals, other services and family/friends. METHODS: An online survey based on the Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Consortium tool was emailed to all students at the main campus of a large university in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It was completed by 1,540 students (8.1% of those emailed) of any gender in July-August 2019. RESULTS: During their time at university to-date, 28% of the sample had experienced at least one form of sexual assault with 14.9% reporting experiences that meet a definition of rape. Sixty-six percent of victims in the sample and 53% of the reported perpetrators had been using alcohol at the time of the assault. Only 8% of those reporting sexual assault in the sample disclosed the assault to a health professional. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the low number of university students disclosing sexual assaults to health professionals or support services, the results of this survey suggest more work is needed to facilitate greater disclosures to health professionals enabling victims to access the services they need regardless of alcohol use.


Disclosure/statistics & numerical data , Sex Offenses/statistics & numerical data , Students/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Surveys and Questionnaires , Universities , Young Adult
17.
Musculoskeletal Care ; 18(4): 501-509, 2020 12.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32578937

PURPOSE: Online health information (OHI) and social media have become prominent health resources for people with arthritis-related fatigue. More research is needed to understand how OHI and online social support may influence illness experiences and patient-practitioner relationships in people with arthritis-related fatigue. The present study aimed to explore how OHI and social media shape these experiences by using an inductive qualitative analysis. METHOD: Seven focus groups were conducted with 21 participants aged 28-77 diagnosed with a range of rheumatic diseases. Within the focus groups, participants were asked questions about OHI, online social support and the role of OHI in their health care. The focus groups were recorded, transcribed and analysed using a combination of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and thematic analysis. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in three themes: (a) how online social support changes illness experiences, (b) communicating fatigue to health professionals using OHI and (c) health care experiences online. These themes provide insight into the ways people with arthritis-related fatigue benefit from online social support, use OHI to support communication with health professionals and how they share health care for arthritis in online spaces. CONCLUSION: This research expanded on previous literature addressing the role of OHI and social media in the illness experience of arthritis-related fatigue. As technology use is increasing, particularly in the current extraordinary environment of social distancing, it is critical to address the role of OHI and social media in health care. In this study, OHI and social media played a prevalent role in the health care of many participants.


Arthritis , Social Media , Arthritis/complications , Fatigue/etiology , Focus Groups , Humans , Qualitative Research , Social Support
18.
Musculoskeletal Care ; 18(3): 330-341, 2020 09.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32293092

INTRODUCTION: Despite advances in the management of rheumatic diseases, many patients experience persistent pain and fatigue. Psychological interventions are useful adjunctive treatments, but improvements tend to be small, and progress in this area is needed. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for the treatment of chronic pain and fatigue in patients with rheumatic disease. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of ACT for the treatment of chronic pain and fatigue in patients with rheumatic disease. Ten RCTs that included people with rheumatic disease were identified, rated for risk of bias, and summarised in terms of effects on relevant outcomes (disability, emotional functioning, pain, and quality of life). RESULTS: Treatment with ACT was associated with improvements in physical and emotional functioning, pain, and quality of life in chronic pain patients. The favourable effects of ACT were evident when compared with those of treatment as usual or active control conditions (e.g., pain education and novel medication). There was consistent evidence to show that ACT is beneficial in improving physical and emotional functioning in patients with fibromyalgia but a lack of evidence pertaining to patients with other forms of rheumatic disease. CONCLUSION: ACT provides benefit for fibromyalgia patients. Further high-quality research is needed to develop ACT interventions for people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and to evaluate their effectiveness for managing the pain and fatigue associated with these conditions.


Acceptance and Commitment Therapy , Chronic Pain , Fibromyalgia , Fatigue/etiology , Fatigue/therapy , Humans , Quality of Life
19.
Int J Transgend Health ; 21(4): 440-454, 2020.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34993522

BACKGROUND: Transgender people experience high rates of suicidality and self-harm. Past research has established a range of correlates of suicidality/self-harm among transgender people but little is known about whether these correlates are similar for transgender and cisgender people. AIMS: The aim of this study was to test whether a range of potential demographic and psychosocial correlates of suicidality/self-harm hold for both transgender and cisgender people living in Aotearoa/New Zealand and Australia. METHODS: An online survey was completed by 700 adults living in Aotearoa/New Zealand (n = 328) or Australia (n = 372). Targeted advertising was used to recruit transgender respondents (n = 392) and cisgender respondents (n = 308). Participants completed questions about demographics, discrimination (the Everyday Discrimination Scale), distress (the Kessler-10 scale), social support (the Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), resilience (the Brief Resilience Scale), suicidality (the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale and other questions about ideation/attempts), and self-harm (the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory). RESULTS: Lifetime suicidal ideation, lifetime suicide attempts, and lifetime self-harm were more common among transgender participants. Discrimination was associated with lifetime suicide attempts and lifetime self-harm, particularly for transgender participants. Distress was consistently associated with recent suicidality and self-harm for transgender participants. Younger cisgender participants were more likely to report lifetime self-harm. Recent suicidal ideation was associated with lower social support among transgender participants but with lower resilience among cisgender participants. DISCUSSION: These findings reaffirm and expand on past research on suicidality/self-harm among transgender or cisgender people and demonstrate the relevance of tackling discrimination and distress experienced by transgender people. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of meeting additional social support needs among transgender people to help prevent suicide and self-harm.

20.
J Homosex ; 67(10): 1471-1489, 2020 Aug 23.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30912709

Past studies that compare cisgender to transgender (or trans) and gender diverse people have found a higher prevalence of mental health problems among the latter groups. This article uses Testa's gender minority stress framework, which is an expansion of minority stress theory, to assess minority stressors that are specific to the experiences of trans and gender diverse people. The concept of cisnormativity, an ideology that positions cisgender identities as a norm, is used in relation to the gender minority stress framework to describe the marginalizing nature of social environments for trans and gender diverse people. This article provides a critical review that integrates and expands on past theoretical perspectives on gender minority stressors and protective factors. Specifically, this article demonstrates the relevance of cultural and ethnic backgrounds to complement the application of intersectionality in research on health disparities experienced by trans and gender diverse people.


Minority Groups/psychology , Sexual and Gender Minorities/psychology , Stress, Psychological , Female , Humans , Male , Psychological Theory , Transgender Persons/psychology
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