Measuring memory: A survey of neuropsychological practice amongst New Zealand psychologists.

This study sought to explore patterns of memory assessment in neuropsychological practice within New Zealand (NZ), to compare it to that previously described in Europe, North America and Australia, and to consider the implications for neuropsychology training in NZ. 80 NZ-registered psychologists completed an online survey asking them how frequently they utilized 50 commonly used tests of memory. Participants were also asked about their main areas of specialty, work context and demographic information. Whilst participants appeared, broadly, to utilize a similar set of 'core' tests to their colleagues in Europe, Australia and North America, there were a number of tests and test domains that were rarely utilized by NZ psychologists, in contrast to overseas samples. Furthermore, several of the tests in common usage have been shown to have significant validity issues for use with an NZ population. Overall, this study suggests that most NZ psychologists employ a similar approach to memory assessment, typically relying upon a small number of well-known tests. This appears to contrast with a greater variability of practice shown in studies of European, North American and Australian psychologists and raises several interesting questions for the future development of neuropsychology in NZ.

Understanding Aotearoa New Zealand University Students Intentions to Seek Help If Experiencing Mental Distress: A Comparison of Naturalistic and Interventional Findings.

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.

Fears about COVID-19 and perceived risk among people with rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis following the initial lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand.

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.

Mental health and quality of life for people with rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis in Aotearoa New Zealand following the COVID-19 national lockdown.

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.