Resilience in a aquatic ecosystems : Developing predictive models to explain the effects of anthropogenic stressors on Murray-Darling Basin billabongs
- Reid, Michael, Gell, Peter, Davidson, Thomas, Sayer, Carl, Tibby, John, Fluin, Jennie
- Authors: Reid, Michael , Gell, Peter , Davidson, Thomas , Sayer, Carl , Tibby, John , Fluin, Jennie
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Symposium on Australia-China Wetland Network Research Partnership; Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGLAS) Nanjing, China; 23rd-28th December 2014 p. 61-67
- Full Text:
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- Description: Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened in the world (MEA 2005) and have been identified as one of the ten Australian ecosystems most vulnerable to tipping points. The floodplain lakes and wetlands (billabongs) of the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) are hotspots of productivity and diversity and provide important breeding, feeding and refuge habitat for a range of floodplain river biota, as well as important ecosystem goods and services by way of flood mitigation, nutrient cycling and sediment trapping. Nonetheless, MDB billabongs are threatened by water resource and agricultural development and climate change. In recognition of these threats, water dependent ecosystems of the MDB are currently subject to expensive and controversial management measures involving water buy backs estimated to cost up to $30 billion and the subsequent delivery of environmental water. The need to understand the critical drivers of change and the internal system interactions that underlie ecosystem responses in floodplain river ecosystems has never been greater. This project will develop ecosystem response models that will not only identify the critical threatening drivers, but also provide the guidance necessary to rehabilitate these important ecosystems.
- Authors: Reid, Michael , Gell, Peter , Davidson, Thomas , Sayer, Carl , Tibby, John , Fluin, Jennie
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Symposium on Australia-China Wetland Network Research Partnership; Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGLAS) Nanjing, China; 23rd-28th December 2014 p. 61-67
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened in the world (MEA 2005) and have been identified as one of the ten Australian ecosystems most vulnerable to tipping points. The floodplain lakes and wetlands (billabongs) of the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) are hotspots of productivity and diversity and provide important breeding, feeding and refuge habitat for a range of floodplain river biota, as well as important ecosystem goods and services by way of flood mitigation, nutrient cycling and sediment trapping. Nonetheless, MDB billabongs are threatened by water resource and agricultural development and climate change. In recognition of these threats, water dependent ecosystems of the MDB are currently subject to expensive and controversial management measures involving water buy backs estimated to cost up to $30 billion and the subsequent delivery of environmental water. The need to understand the critical drivers of change and the internal system interactions that underlie ecosystem responses in floodplain river ecosystems has never been greater. This project will develop ecosystem response models that will not only identify the critical threatening drivers, but also provide the guidance necessary to rehabilitate these important ecosystems.
The development of the Gippsland Economic Modelling Tool
- Lawton, Alan, Valenzuela, Ernesto, Duffy, Michelle, Morgan, Damian
- Authors: Lawton, Alan , Valenzuela, Ernesto , Duffy, Michelle , Morgan, Damian
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Technical report , Research Report
- Full Text:
- Description: This study develops a measurement tool to assess the economic health, human capital, social well-being and liveability of regional locations. The study is guided by developments in the professional literature related to measuring these four dimensions. Information was compiled from existing databases for 72 indicators used to generate four indices: Economic Health, Human Capital, Social Well-being, and Liveability. Index measures are reported for local government authority (LGAs) and Victorian State levels. The four indices provide a new quantitative tool to capture the effects from, and so reflect, economic, social and policy changes impacting across Victoria. Further application of this tool may be provided through periodic data updates over time using data captured on a national scale. The regional focus of the present study is the Latrobe Valley located in the Gippsland region of Victoria. The Latrobe Valley encompasses the LGAs of Baw Baw, Latrobe City and Wellington Shires. In addition, index values are reported for 16 towns located within the three LGAs and we include these findings as Appendix 1. For comparative purposes, the study also reports index values for the Gippsland region (comprising LGAs of Baw-Baw, Bass Coast, East Gippsland, Latrobe City, South Gippsland and Wellington Shire), the State of Victoria, and regional (non-metropolitan areas) using averages. Data were gathered for all 79 Victorian LGAs. The study results provide a measurement framework constructed from a comprehensive application of available databases. The end-product is a significant “tool” that identifies and summates enablers of economic productivity and social and community development. The tool provides evidenced-based measures to inform policy recommendations with regard to strategic intervention options and ensuing impacts on regional sustainability.
- Authors: Lawton, Alan , Valenzuela, Ernesto , Duffy, Michelle , Morgan, Damian
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Technical report , Research Report
- Full Text:
- Description: This study develops a measurement tool to assess the economic health, human capital, social well-being and liveability of regional locations. The study is guided by developments in the professional literature related to measuring these four dimensions. Information was compiled from existing databases for 72 indicators used to generate four indices: Economic Health, Human Capital, Social Well-being, and Liveability. Index measures are reported for local government authority (LGAs) and Victorian State levels. The four indices provide a new quantitative tool to capture the effects from, and so reflect, economic, social and policy changes impacting across Victoria. Further application of this tool may be provided through periodic data updates over time using data captured on a national scale. The regional focus of the present study is the Latrobe Valley located in the Gippsland region of Victoria. The Latrobe Valley encompasses the LGAs of Baw Baw, Latrobe City and Wellington Shires. In addition, index values are reported for 16 towns located within the three LGAs and we include these findings as Appendix 1. For comparative purposes, the study also reports index values for the Gippsland region (comprising LGAs of Baw-Baw, Bass Coast, East Gippsland, Latrobe City, South Gippsland and Wellington Shire), the State of Victoria, and regional (non-metropolitan areas) using averages. Data were gathered for all 79 Victorian LGAs. The study results provide a measurement framework constructed from a comprehensive application of available databases. The end-product is a significant “tool” that identifies and summates enablers of economic productivity and social and community development. The tool provides evidenced-based measures to inform policy recommendations with regard to strategic intervention options and ensuing impacts on regional sustainability.
The relationship between business incubator services and the psychological capital of tenants
- Authors: Ollerenshaw, Alison
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Business incubators (BI) provide a supportive environment for new tenant businesses to grow to independence. Incubators offer characteristic services including (a) space, physical resources, and infrastructure; (b) business support services, (c) networking; and, (d) structured selection, entry, and exit. Despite the global growth in incubator facilities, complemented by extensive research, knowledge gaps remain. Little research has examined the relationship between the characteristic services at incubators and tenants’ psychological capital; a higher-order construct representing an individual’s positive psychological state of development that includes hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. Preliminary examination of the characteristic services at business incubators show analogies with interventions for developing psychological capital. Two research studies were designed to examine these relationships. In the first study, survey (n = 30) and interview data (n = 12) were collected from incubator tenants to examine the existence of a relationship between the four characteristic services at business incubators and tenants’ psychological capital, their hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. The survey data confirmed the existence of a relationship between three incubator services – space, physical resources, and infrastructure, business support services, and networking – and tenants’ psychological capital. Tenants’ narrative experiences confirmed that these same three incubator services support tenants’ hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. This finding implies that the three incubator services contribute to, and augment tenants’ positive psychological states, which is then manifest in their positive behaviours and attitudes towards their business. To further elucidate these relationships a second study was conducted. Data from surveys (n = 75) and interviews (n = 28) with incubators managers also confirmed that space, physical resources, and infrastructure, business support services, and networking were analogous with methods that support tenants’ hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. These findings infer that incubator managers are not only instrumental in delivering these three characteristic services at incubators but are integral in optimising these services to benefit tenants’ hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. This current research provides robust evidence that three characteristic services at incubators are associated with tenants’ psychological capital, hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. These research findings are novel, and the implications for the incubator industry wide-ranging, with evidence indicating that the three characteristic services at incubators are analogous with interventions that support tenants’ psychological capital, and that incubator staff are integral to the delivery of these characteristic services. New directions for the incubator industry are proposed that include establishing a consistent approach to delivering the characteristic services at incubators that support incubator tenants’ businesses, and their positive psychological development.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Ollerenshaw, Alison
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Business incubators (BI) provide a supportive environment for new tenant businesses to grow to independence. Incubators offer characteristic services including (a) space, physical resources, and infrastructure; (b) business support services, (c) networking; and, (d) structured selection, entry, and exit. Despite the global growth in incubator facilities, complemented by extensive research, knowledge gaps remain. Little research has examined the relationship between the characteristic services at incubators and tenants’ psychological capital; a higher-order construct representing an individual’s positive psychological state of development that includes hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. Preliminary examination of the characteristic services at business incubators show analogies with interventions for developing psychological capital. Two research studies were designed to examine these relationships. In the first study, survey (n = 30) and interview data (n = 12) were collected from incubator tenants to examine the existence of a relationship between the four characteristic services at business incubators and tenants’ psychological capital, their hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. The survey data confirmed the existence of a relationship between three incubator services – space, physical resources, and infrastructure, business support services, and networking – and tenants’ psychological capital. Tenants’ narrative experiences confirmed that these same three incubator services support tenants’ hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. This finding implies that the three incubator services contribute to, and augment tenants’ positive psychological states, which is then manifest in their positive behaviours and attitudes towards their business. To further elucidate these relationships a second study was conducted. Data from surveys (n = 75) and interviews (n = 28) with incubators managers also confirmed that space, physical resources, and infrastructure, business support services, and networking were analogous with methods that support tenants’ hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. These findings infer that incubator managers are not only instrumental in delivering these three characteristic services at incubators but are integral in optimising these services to benefit tenants’ hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. This current research provides robust evidence that three characteristic services at incubators are associated with tenants’ psychological capital, hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. These research findings are novel, and the implications for the incubator industry wide-ranging, with evidence indicating that the three characteristic services at incubators are analogous with interventions that support tenants’ psychological capital, and that incubator staff are integral to the delivery of these characteristic services. New directions for the incubator industry are proposed that include establishing a consistent approach to delivering the characteristic services at incubators that support incubator tenants’ businesses, and their positive psychological development.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
An investigative study of burnout among university nurse academics in Australia
- Authors: Singh, Charanjit
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The overall aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence, extent and explore the experiences of Nurse Academics in Australia in relation to job satisfaction and burnout. Over the last three decades, university teaching has become increasingly challenging and stressful; this has affected the quality of life of academics. This is evidenced by the rapidly changing working conditions and stress experienced globally among university academics Consequently, the relationship between academics and their workplace are very demanding, more stressed, followed by lack of resources and eventually leading to burnout. Burnout is defined as a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job. Since, the move of nurse education into the university sector in Australia in the mid 1980’s, the stress and demands placed upon Nursing Academics has risen and intensified dramatically. Although the literature is replete about the work experiences among university academics very little research has been carried out to investigate the prevalence and explore the experiences among nurse academics, particularly within Australia (Bittner, & Bechtel, 2017) in relation to occupational stress and burnout. This research study utilized a mixed methods design, specifically, the sequential explanatory model A two phased approach was utilized. In phase one 234 nurse academics completed the survey comprised of the MBI, MSQ and demographics. In phase two, 19 participants were interviewed. The conceptual framework that underpins this study is influenced by the Job- Demands Resource Model (J-DR Model). In phase one, participants were drawn from a cross section from novice to experienced academics. 50% of participants reported low levels of burnout, whilst the other 50% reported either moderate or high levels of burnout. Out of these 50% who experienced burnout about 20% of respondents experienced a high-level of burnout. Similarly, 50% of the participants experienced low levels of job satisfaction and this correlated significantly with high levels of the total burnout scores (r = -0.56). Within the qualitative component, the main themes included a lack of work life balance, incivility towards staff, increasing workloads, challenging students, lack of recognition, negative workplace culture, lack of awareness of the importance of political astuteness, and lack of leadership skills and difficulty with retention of newly appointed staff. Many participants also expressed being threatened, felling intimidated, and unfairly treated coupled with facing personalities who were driven by power struggles. Overall, there appeared to be a sense of powerlessness, that participants were relatively powerless and unable to change their lot. Although personal resilience provided a buffering effect for some of the participants and acted as a protective factor against stress and burnout it is not well understood. This research study contributes to the ongoing body of work on the experiences of nurse academics globally and gives a further insight and understanding of the personal experiences of occupational stress and burnout among Australian nurse academics. However, a few potential limitations to this study should be noted. The study sample was only selected from within Australian universities which may limit the global generalisation of the findings and it was undertaken at an only one time point. Occupational stress leading to burnout is still considered an important factor and predictor of job satisfaction and intention to leave among Australian nurse academics. Effective mentoring and leadership styles that promote a nurturing work environment, a sense of belonging, being valued, heard, and recognised, are areas of priority. Strategies and policies should be revised for greater inclusiveness, academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and a better work-life balance. Further work is needed that examines the specific types of support systems that nurse leaders could initiate to reduce job stress leading to burnout. Ongoing evaluation is crucial to ensure the appropriateness, efficacy, and effectiveness of the support systems. The findings have important global implications in terms of recruitment and retention of nurse academic.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Singh, Charanjit
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The overall aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence, extent and explore the experiences of Nurse Academics in Australia in relation to job satisfaction and burnout. Over the last three decades, university teaching has become increasingly challenging and stressful; this has affected the quality of life of academics. This is evidenced by the rapidly changing working conditions and stress experienced globally among university academics Consequently, the relationship between academics and their workplace are very demanding, more stressed, followed by lack of resources and eventually leading to burnout. Burnout is defined as a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job. Since, the move of nurse education into the university sector in Australia in the mid 1980’s, the stress and demands placed upon Nursing Academics has risen and intensified dramatically. Although the literature is replete about the work experiences among university academics very little research has been carried out to investigate the prevalence and explore the experiences among nurse academics, particularly within Australia (Bittner, & Bechtel, 2017) in relation to occupational stress and burnout. This research study utilized a mixed methods design, specifically, the sequential explanatory model A two phased approach was utilized. In phase one 234 nurse academics completed the survey comprised of the MBI, MSQ and demographics. In phase two, 19 participants were interviewed. The conceptual framework that underpins this study is influenced by the Job- Demands Resource Model (J-DR Model). In phase one, participants were drawn from a cross section from novice to experienced academics. 50% of participants reported low levels of burnout, whilst the other 50% reported either moderate or high levels of burnout. Out of these 50% who experienced burnout about 20% of respondents experienced a high-level of burnout. Similarly, 50% of the participants experienced low levels of job satisfaction and this correlated significantly with high levels of the total burnout scores (r = -0.56). Within the qualitative component, the main themes included a lack of work life balance, incivility towards staff, increasing workloads, challenging students, lack of recognition, negative workplace culture, lack of awareness of the importance of political astuteness, and lack of leadership skills and difficulty with retention of newly appointed staff. Many participants also expressed being threatened, felling intimidated, and unfairly treated coupled with facing personalities who were driven by power struggles. Overall, there appeared to be a sense of powerlessness, that participants were relatively powerless and unable to change their lot. Although personal resilience provided a buffering effect for some of the participants and acted as a protective factor against stress and burnout it is not well understood. This research study contributes to the ongoing body of work on the experiences of nurse academics globally and gives a further insight and understanding of the personal experiences of occupational stress and burnout among Australian nurse academics. However, a few potential limitations to this study should be noted. The study sample was only selected from within Australian universities which may limit the global generalisation of the findings and it was undertaken at an only one time point. Occupational stress leading to burnout is still considered an important factor and predictor of job satisfaction and intention to leave among Australian nurse academics. Effective mentoring and leadership styles that promote a nurturing work environment, a sense of belonging, being valued, heard, and recognised, are areas of priority. Strategies and policies should be revised for greater inclusiveness, academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and a better work-life balance. Further work is needed that examines the specific types of support systems that nurse leaders could initiate to reduce job stress leading to burnout. Ongoing evaluation is crucial to ensure the appropriateness, efficacy, and effectiveness of the support systems. The findings have important global implications in terms of recruitment and retention of nurse academic.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Factors associated with psychological distress, fear and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
- Rahman, Muhammad Aziz, Hoque, Nazmul,, Alif, Sheikh, Salehin, Masudus, Islam, Sheikh, Banik, Biswajit, Sharif, Ahmed, Nazim, Nashrin, Sultana, Farhan, Cross, Wendy
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Hoque, Nazmul, , Alif, Sheikh , Salehin, Masudus , Islam, Sheikh , Banik, Biswajit , Sharif, Ahmed , Nazim, Nashrin , Sultana, Farhan , Cross, Wendy
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Globalization and health Vol. 16, no. 1 (2020), p. 1-15
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- Description: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the personal, professional and social life of Australians with some people more impacted than others. Objectives This study aimed to identify factors associated with psychological distress, fear and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among residents in Australia, including patients, frontline health and other essential service workers, and community members during June 2020. Psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) level of fear was assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and coping strategies were assessed using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS). Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the extent of psychological distress, level of fear and coping strategies while adjusting for potential confounders. Results Among 587 participants, the majority (391, 73.2%)...
- Description: This work was supported by grant 1R21EB022356 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Hoque, Nazmul, , Alif, Sheikh , Salehin, Masudus , Islam, Sheikh , Banik, Biswajit , Sharif, Ahmed , Nazim, Nashrin , Sultana, Farhan , Cross, Wendy
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Globalization and health Vol. 16, no. 1 (2020), p. 1-15
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the personal, professional and social life of Australians with some people more impacted than others. Objectives This study aimed to identify factors associated with psychological distress, fear and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among residents in Australia, including patients, frontline health and other essential service workers, and community members during June 2020. Psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) level of fear was assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and coping strategies were assessed using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS). Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the extent of psychological distress, level of fear and coping strategies while adjusting for potential confounders. Results Among 587 participants, the majority (391, 73.2%)...
- Description: This work was supported by grant 1R21EB022356 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
COVID-19 : factors associated with psychological distress, fear, and coping strategies among community members across 17 countries
- Rahman, Muhammad Aziz, Banik, Biswajit, Salehin, Masudus, Joseph, Bindu, Lam, Louisa, Watts, Mimmie, Cross, Wendy
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Banik, Biswajit , Salehin, Masudus , Joseph, Bindu , Lam, Louisa , Watts, Mimmie , Cross, Wendy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Globalization and Health Vol. 17, no. 1 (2021), p.
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- Description: Background: The current pandemic of COVID-19 impacted the psychological wellbeing of populations globally. Objectives: We aimed to examine the extent and identify factors associated with psychological distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study across 17 countries during Jun-2020 to Jan-2021. Levels of psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale), fear of COVID-19 (Fear of COVID-19 Scale), and coping (Brief Resilient Coping Scale) were assessed. Results: A total of 8,559 people participated; mean age (±SD) was 33(±13) years, 64% were females and 40% self-identified as frontline workers. More than two-thirds (69%) experienced moderate-to-very high levels of psychological distress, which was 46% in Thailand and 91% in Egypt. A quarter (24%) had high levels of fear of COVID-19, which was as low as 9% in Libya and as high as 38% in Bangladesh. More than half (57%) exhibited medium to high resilient coping; the lowest prevalence (3%) was reported in Australia and the highest (72%) in Syria. Being female (AOR 1.31 [95% CIs 1.09-1.57]), perceived distress due to change of employment status (1.56 [1.29-1.90]), comorbidity with mental health conditions (3.02 [1.20-7.60]) were associated with higher levels of psychological distress and fear. Doctors had higher psychological distress (1.43 [1.04-1.97]), but low levels of fear of COVID-19 (0.55 [0.41-0.76]); nurses had medium to high resilient coping (1.30 [1.03-1.65]). Conclusions: The extent of psychological distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping varied by country; however, we identified few higher risk groups who were more vulnerable than others. There is an urgent need to prioritise health and well-being of those people through well-designed intervention that may need to be tailored to meet country specific requirements. © 2021, The Author(s). **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the Federation University Australia affiliates are named “Muhammad Aziz Rahman, Biswajit Banik, Masudus Salehin, Joseph Bindu, Louisa Lam, Mimmie Watts and Wendy Cross” are provided in this record**
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Banik, Biswajit , Salehin, Masudus , Joseph, Bindu , Lam, Louisa , Watts, Mimmie , Cross, Wendy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Globalization and Health Vol. 17, no. 1 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: The current pandemic of COVID-19 impacted the psychological wellbeing of populations globally. Objectives: We aimed to examine the extent and identify factors associated with psychological distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study across 17 countries during Jun-2020 to Jan-2021. Levels of psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale), fear of COVID-19 (Fear of COVID-19 Scale), and coping (Brief Resilient Coping Scale) were assessed. Results: A total of 8,559 people participated; mean age (±SD) was 33(±13) years, 64% were females and 40% self-identified as frontline workers. More than two-thirds (69%) experienced moderate-to-very high levels of psychological distress, which was 46% in Thailand and 91% in Egypt. A quarter (24%) had high levels of fear of COVID-19, which was as low as 9% in Libya and as high as 38% in Bangladesh. More than half (57%) exhibited medium to high resilient coping; the lowest prevalence (3%) was reported in Australia and the highest (72%) in Syria. Being female (AOR 1.31 [95% CIs 1.09-1.57]), perceived distress due to change of employment status (1.56 [1.29-1.90]), comorbidity with mental health conditions (3.02 [1.20-7.60]) were associated with higher levels of psychological distress and fear. Doctors had higher psychological distress (1.43 [1.04-1.97]), but low levels of fear of COVID-19 (0.55 [0.41-0.76]); nurses had medium to high resilient coping (1.30 [1.03-1.65]). Conclusions: The extent of psychological distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping varied by country; however, we identified few higher risk groups who were more vulnerable than others. There is an urgent need to prioritise health and well-being of those people through well-designed intervention that may need to be tailored to meet country specific requirements. © 2021, The Author(s). **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the Federation University Australia affiliates are named “Muhammad Aziz Rahman, Biswajit Banik, Masudus Salehin, Joseph Bindu, Louisa Lam, Mimmie Watts and Wendy Cross” are provided in this record**
COVID-19 related psychological distress, fear and coping : identification of high-risk groups in Bangladesh
- Rahman, Muhammad Aziz, Rahman, Shaila, Wazib, Amit, Salehin, Masudus, Cross, Wendy
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Rahman, Shaila , Wazib, Amit , Salehin, Masudus , Cross, Wendy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Psychiatry Vol. 12, no. (2021), p. 718654
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- Description: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed psychological distress and fear across the globe; however, factors associated with those issues or the ways people cope may vary by country or context. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with psychological distress, fear, and coping strategies for people living in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in August-September 2020 using online platforms in Bangladesh. People residing in Bangladesh, aged ≥18 years, who were proficient in English and able to respond to online questionnaire. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale was used to assess the psychological stress. Level of fear was assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and strategies to cope were assessed using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Results: Of the 962 participants, half of them were aged between 30 and 59 years. Being born in Bangladesh, having graduate education, perceived distress due to employment change, effect of COVID-19 on financial situation, having multiple comorbidities, and visiting a healthcare provider in the last 4 weeks were associated with higher levels of both psychological distress and fear of COVID-19. Furthermore, higher psychological distress was associated with being a female (AOR 1.81, 95% CI 1.33–2.47, p < 0.001), being a frontline worker (AOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.04–2.15, p < 0.05), having pre-existing psychiatric problems (AOR 4.03, 95% CI 1.19–13.7, p < 0.05), being a smoker (AOR 2.02, 95% CI 1.32–3.09, p < 0.01), providing care to a known/suspected COVID-19 patient (AOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.40–2.72, p < 0.001), having a recent overseas travel history and being in self-quarantine (AOR 4.59, 95% CI 1.23–17.2, p < 0.05), self-isolation without COVID-19 (AOR 2.63, 95% CI 1.68–4.13, p < 0.001) or being COVID-19 positive (AOR 2.53, 95% CI 1.19–5.34, p < 0.05), and having high levels of fear of COVID-19 (AOR 3.27, 95% CI 2.29–4.66, p < 0.001). A higher level of fear was associated with moderate to high levels of psychological distress (AOR 3.29, 95% CI 2.31–4.69, p < 0.001). People with pre-existing mental health problems were less likely to be resilient (AOR 0.25, 95% CI 0.11–0.54, p < 0.01), whereas those with having an income were more likely to be resilient (AOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.02–2.11, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Effective interventions to support the vulnerable groups including improved access to mental health services are of utmost importance during the pandemic. © Copyright © 2021 Rahman, Rahman, Wazib, Arafat, Chowdhury, Uddin, Rahman, Bahar Moni, Alif, Sultana, Salehin, Islam, Cross and Bahar. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Aziz Rahman, Masudus Salehin, Wendy Cross" is provided in this record**
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Rahman, Shaila , Wazib, Amit , Salehin, Masudus , Cross, Wendy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Psychiatry Vol. 12, no. (2021), p. 718654
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- Description: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed psychological distress and fear across the globe; however, factors associated with those issues or the ways people cope may vary by country or context. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with psychological distress, fear, and coping strategies for people living in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in August-September 2020 using online platforms in Bangladesh. People residing in Bangladesh, aged ≥18 years, who were proficient in English and able to respond to online questionnaire. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale was used to assess the psychological stress. Level of fear was assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and strategies to cope were assessed using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Results: Of the 962 participants, half of them were aged between 30 and 59 years. Being born in Bangladesh, having graduate education, perceived distress due to employment change, effect of COVID-19 on financial situation, having multiple comorbidities, and visiting a healthcare provider in the last 4 weeks were associated with higher levels of both psychological distress and fear of COVID-19. Furthermore, higher psychological distress was associated with being a female (AOR 1.81, 95% CI 1.33–2.47, p < 0.001), being a frontline worker (AOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.04–2.15, p < 0.05), having pre-existing psychiatric problems (AOR 4.03, 95% CI 1.19–13.7, p < 0.05), being a smoker (AOR 2.02, 95% CI 1.32–3.09, p < 0.01), providing care to a known/suspected COVID-19 patient (AOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.40–2.72, p < 0.001), having a recent overseas travel history and being in self-quarantine (AOR 4.59, 95% CI 1.23–17.2, p < 0.05), self-isolation without COVID-19 (AOR 2.63, 95% CI 1.68–4.13, p < 0.001) or being COVID-19 positive (AOR 2.53, 95% CI 1.19–5.34, p < 0.05), and having high levels of fear of COVID-19 (AOR 3.27, 95% CI 2.29–4.66, p < 0.001). A higher level of fear was associated with moderate to high levels of psychological distress (AOR 3.29, 95% CI 2.31–4.69, p < 0.001). People with pre-existing mental health problems were less likely to be resilient (AOR 0.25, 95% CI 0.11–0.54, p < 0.01), whereas those with having an income were more likely to be resilient (AOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.02–2.11, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Effective interventions to support the vulnerable groups including improved access to mental health services are of utmost importance during the pandemic. © Copyright © 2021 Rahman, Rahman, Wazib, Arafat, Chowdhury, Uddin, Rahman, Bahar Moni, Alif, Sultana, Salehin, Islam, Cross and Bahar. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Aziz Rahman, Masudus Salehin, Wendy Cross" is provided in this record**
Resilience-based multifactorial model of depression among people who lost an only-child in China
- Wang, Anni, Zhang, Wen, Guo, Yufang, Cross, Wendy, Plummer, Virginia, Lam, Louisa, Zhang, Jingping
- Authors: Wang, Anni , Zhang, Wen , Guo, Yufang , Cross, Wendy , Plummer, Virginia , Lam, Louisa , Zhang, Jingping
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences Vol. 46, no. 1 (2021), p. 75-83
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- Description: Objective: There are almost one million families who lost their only child in China, and 65.6% of them had severe and long lasting depression and needed timely psychointervention. This study aims to explore the relationship among resilience and its influential factors, and to compare their effect on depression. Methods: A total of 212 only-child loss person in 9 administrative regions in Changsha were assessed by using Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Zung Self-rating Depression Scale, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, Simplified Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Social Support Rating Scale, and General Self-efficacy Scale. A hypothetical model was tested based on Kumpfer resilience framework and stress-coping theory. Results: The influential factors of resilience were: positive coping (the total effect value was 0.480), support utilization (the total effect value was 0.359), neuroticism (the total effect value was -0.326), negative coping (the total effect value was 0.279), extraversion (the total effect value was 0.219), and objective support (the total effect value was 0.077). The process of individual-environment interaction showed a greater impact on resilience, which had a direct effect on depression (the total effect value was −0.344, 67.1%), and also indirect effect through self-efficacy (the total effect value was −0.169). The total effect of resilience accounted for 20.1% of the total effect of all variables. Conclusion: Resilience mainly impacts depression directly, and can negatively predict depression in only-child loss parents. Resilience, located before self-efficacy, is a significant stress mediating variables. Personality traits and support utilization indirectly impact resilience via negative and positive coping. The key to promote the reorganization of resilience is the process of individual-environmental interaction, involving support utilization, positive coping, and some sorts of negative coping strategies, which plays an important role in developing a resilience intervention program and can improve the depression of the only-child loss person.
- Authors: Wang, Anni , Zhang, Wen , Guo, Yufang , Cross, Wendy , Plummer, Virginia , Lam, Louisa , Zhang, Jingping
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences Vol. 46, no. 1 (2021), p. 75-83
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- Description: Objective: There are almost one million families who lost their only child in China, and 65.6% of them had severe and long lasting depression and needed timely psychointervention. This study aims to explore the relationship among resilience and its influential factors, and to compare their effect on depression. Methods: A total of 212 only-child loss person in 9 administrative regions in Changsha were assessed by using Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Zung Self-rating Depression Scale, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, Simplified Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Social Support Rating Scale, and General Self-efficacy Scale. A hypothetical model was tested based on Kumpfer resilience framework and stress-coping theory. Results: The influential factors of resilience were: positive coping (the total effect value was 0.480), support utilization (the total effect value was 0.359), neuroticism (the total effect value was -0.326), negative coping (the total effect value was 0.279), extraversion (the total effect value was 0.219), and objective support (the total effect value was 0.077). The process of individual-environment interaction showed a greater impact on resilience, which had a direct effect on depression (the total effect value was −0.344, 67.1%), and also indirect effect through self-efficacy (the total effect value was −0.169). The total effect of resilience accounted for 20.1% of the total effect of all variables. Conclusion: Resilience mainly impacts depression directly, and can negatively predict depression in only-child loss parents. Resilience, located before self-efficacy, is a significant stress mediating variables. Personality traits and support utilization indirectly impact resilience via negative and positive coping. The key to promote the reorganization of resilience is the process of individual-environmental interaction, involving support utilization, positive coping, and some sorts of negative coping strategies, which plays an important role in developing a resilience intervention program and can improve the depression of the only-child loss person.
Mental health at the COVID-19 frontline : an assessment of distress, fear, and coping among staff and attendees at screening clinics of rural/regional settings of Victoria, Australia
- Rahman, Muhammad Aziz, Ford, Dale, Sousa, Grace, Hedley, Lorraine, Greenstock, Louise, Cross, Wendy, Brumby, Susan
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Ford, Dale , Sousa, Grace , Hedley, Lorraine , Greenstock, Louise , Cross, Wendy , Brumby, Susan
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Rural Health Vol. 38, no. 4 (2022), p. 773-787
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- Description: Purpose: Research examining psychological well-being associated with COVID-19 in rural/regional Australia is limited. This study aimed to assess the extent of psychological distress, fear of COVID-19, and coping strategies among the attendees in COVID-19 screening clinics at 2 rural Victorian settings. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during July 2020 to February 2021 inclusive. Participants were invited to fill in an online questionnaire. Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Brief Resilient Coping Scale were used to assess psychological distress, fear of COVID-19, and coping, respectively. Findings: Among 702 total participants, 69% were females and mean age (±SD) was 49 (±15.8) years. One in 5 participants (156, 22%) experienced high to very high psychological distress, 1 in 10 (72, 10%) experienced high fear, and more than half (397, 57%) had medium to high resilient coping. Participants with mental health issues had higher distress (AOR 10.4, 95% CI: 6.25-17.2) and fear (2.56, 1.41-4.66). Higher distress was also associated with having comorbidities, increased smoking (5.71, 1.04-31.4), and alcohol drinking (2.03, 1.21-3.40). Higher fear was associated with negative financial impact, drinking alcohol (2.15, 1.06-4.37), and increased alcohol drinking. Medium to high resilient coping was associated with being ≥60 years old (1.84, 1.04-3.24) and completing Bachelor and above levels of education. Conclusion: People who had pre-existing mental health issues, comorbidities, smoked, and consumed alcohol were identified as high-risk groups for poorer psychological well-being in rural/regional Victoria. Specific interventions to support the mental well-being of these vulnerable populations, along with engaging health care providers, should be considered. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Rural Health published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Rural Health Association.
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Ford, Dale , Sousa, Grace , Hedley, Lorraine , Greenstock, Louise , Cross, Wendy , Brumby, Susan
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Rural Health Vol. 38, no. 4 (2022), p. 773-787
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- Description: Purpose: Research examining psychological well-being associated with COVID-19 in rural/regional Australia is limited. This study aimed to assess the extent of psychological distress, fear of COVID-19, and coping strategies among the attendees in COVID-19 screening clinics at 2 rural Victorian settings. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during July 2020 to February 2021 inclusive. Participants were invited to fill in an online questionnaire. Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Brief Resilient Coping Scale were used to assess psychological distress, fear of COVID-19, and coping, respectively. Findings: Among 702 total participants, 69% were females and mean age (±SD) was 49 (±15.8) years. One in 5 participants (156, 22%) experienced high to very high psychological distress, 1 in 10 (72, 10%) experienced high fear, and more than half (397, 57%) had medium to high resilient coping. Participants with mental health issues had higher distress (AOR 10.4, 95% CI: 6.25-17.2) and fear (2.56, 1.41-4.66). Higher distress was also associated with having comorbidities, increased smoking (5.71, 1.04-31.4), and alcohol drinking (2.03, 1.21-3.40). Higher fear was associated with negative financial impact, drinking alcohol (2.15, 1.06-4.37), and increased alcohol drinking. Medium to high resilient coping was associated with being ≥60 years old (1.84, 1.04-3.24) and completing Bachelor and above levels of education. Conclusion: People who had pre-existing mental health issues, comorbidities, smoked, and consumed alcohol were identified as high-risk groups for poorer psychological well-being in rural/regional Victoria. Specific interventions to support the mental well-being of these vulnerable populations, along with engaging health care providers, should be considered. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Rural Health published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Rural Health Association.
Thinking dispositions for teaching : enabling and supporting resilience in context
- McDonough, Sharon, McGraw, Amanda
- Authors: McDonough, Sharon , McGraw, Amanda
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Cultivating Teacher Resilience: International Approaches, Applications and Impact Chapter 5 p. 69-83
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- Description: Preparing pre-teachers for an increasingly challenging teaching profession is a complex work and requires teacher educators to engage in the careful design of both programmes and professional learning opportunities. This chapter explores how an explicit focus on thinking dispositions that enable effective teaching are developed in a Master of Teaching (Secondary) programme. This programme, delivered on-site at a secondary school, included carefully constructed teaching opportunities to support development of thinking dispositions. Ways of thinking and the impact they have on feelings, actions and beliefs will be examined along with how the implementation of our thinking dispositions framework supports the development of resilience in challenging teaching and learning contexts.
- Authors: McDonough, Sharon , McGraw, Amanda
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Cultivating Teacher Resilience: International Approaches, Applications and Impact Chapter 5 p. 69-83
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- Description: Preparing pre-teachers for an increasingly challenging teaching profession is a complex work and requires teacher educators to engage in the careful design of both programmes and professional learning opportunities. This chapter explores how an explicit focus on thinking dispositions that enable effective teaching are developed in a Master of Teaching (Secondary) programme. This programme, delivered on-site at a secondary school, included carefully constructed teaching opportunities to support development of thinking dispositions. Ways of thinking and the impact they have on feelings, actions and beliefs will be examined along with how the implementation of our thinking dispositions framework supports the development of resilience in challenging teaching and learning contexts.
Buffering the fear of COVID-19 : social connectedness mediates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and psychological wellbeing
- Humphrey, Ashley, March, Evita, Lavender, Andrew, Miller, Kyle, Alvarenga, Marlies, Mesagno, Christopher
- Authors: Humphrey, Ashley , March, Evita , Lavender, Andrew , Miller, Kyle , Alvarenga, Marlies , Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Behavioral Sciences Vol. 12, no. 3 (2022), p.
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- Description: Social connections are crucial for an individual’s health, wellbeing, and overall effective functioning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, one major preventative effort for reducing the spread of COVID-19 involved restricting people’s typical social interactions through physical distancing and isolation. The current cross-sectional study, conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, explored the relationship among fear of COVID-19, social connectedness, resilience, depressive symptomologies, and self-perceived stress. Participants (N = 174) completed an anonymous, online questionnaire, and results indicated that social connectedness mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and psychological wellbeing. In contrast, the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and psychological wellbeing was not mediated by resilience. These findings highlight the important role that social connections and resilience play in buffering against negative psychological wellbeing outcomes, especially during a pandemic. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Humphrey, Ashley , March, Evita , Lavender, Andrew , Miller, Kyle , Alvarenga, Marlies , Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Behavioral Sciences Vol. 12, no. 3 (2022), p.
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- Description: Social connections are crucial for an individual’s health, wellbeing, and overall effective functioning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, one major preventative effort for reducing the spread of COVID-19 involved restricting people’s typical social interactions through physical distancing and isolation. The current cross-sectional study, conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, explored the relationship among fear of COVID-19, social connectedness, resilience, depressive symptomologies, and self-perceived stress. Participants (N = 174) completed an anonymous, online questionnaire, and results indicated that social connectedness mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and psychological wellbeing. In contrast, the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and psychological wellbeing was not mediated by resilience. These findings highlight the important role that social connections and resilience play in buffering against negative psychological wellbeing outcomes, especially during a pandemic. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Exploring CBD retail performance, recovery and resilience of a smart city following COVID-19
- Fieger, Peter, Prayag, Girish, Dyason, David, Rice, John, Hall, C. Michael
- Authors: Fieger, Peter , Prayag, Girish , Dyason, David , Rice, John , Hall, C. Michael
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sustainability Vol. 15, no. 10 (2023), p. 8300
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- Description: The city of Christchurch, New Zealand, incurred significant damage due to a series of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The city had, by the late 2010s, regained economic and social normalcy after a sustained period of rebuilding and economic recovery. Through the concerted rebuilding effort, a modern central business district (CBD) with redesigned infrastructure and amenities was developed. The Christchurch rebuild was underpinned by a commitment of urban planners to an open and connected city, including the use of innovative technologies to gather, use and share data. As was the case elsewhere, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant disruptions to social and economic life in Christchurch. Border closures, lockdowns, trading limitations and other restrictions on movement led to changes in traditional consumer behaviors and affected the retail sector’s resilience. In this study, we used CBD pedestrian traffic data gathered from various locations to predict changes in retail spending and identify recovery implications through the lens of retail resilience. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdowns have driven a substantive change in the behavioral patterns of city users. The implications for resilient retail, sustainable policy and further research are explored.
- Authors: Fieger, Peter , Prayag, Girish , Dyason, David , Rice, John , Hall, C. Michael
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sustainability Vol. 15, no. 10 (2023), p. 8300
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- Reviewed:
- Description: The city of Christchurch, New Zealand, incurred significant damage due to a series of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The city had, by the late 2010s, regained economic and social normalcy after a sustained period of rebuilding and economic recovery. Through the concerted rebuilding effort, a modern central business district (CBD) with redesigned infrastructure and amenities was developed. The Christchurch rebuild was underpinned by a commitment of urban planners to an open and connected city, including the use of innovative technologies to gather, use and share data. As was the case elsewhere, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant disruptions to social and economic life in Christchurch. Border closures, lockdowns, trading limitations and other restrictions on movement led to changes in traditional consumer behaviors and affected the retail sector’s resilience. In this study, we used CBD pedestrian traffic data gathered from various locations to predict changes in retail spending and identify recovery implications through the lens of retail resilience. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdowns have driven a substantive change in the behavioral patterns of city users. The implications for resilient retail, sustainable policy and further research are explored.
COVID-19 : factors associated with the psychological distress, fear and resilient coping strategies among community members in Saudi Arabia
- Alharbi, Talal, Alqurashi, Alaa, Mahmud, Ilias, Alharbi, Rayan, Islam, Sheikh, Almustanyir, Sami, Maklad, Ahmed, AlSarraj, Ahmad, Mughaiss, Lujain, Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar, Ahmed, Ahmed, Barry, Mazin, Ghozy, Sherief, Alabdan, Lulwah, Alif, Sheikh, Sultana, Farhana, Salehin, Masudus, Banik, Biswajit, Cross, Wendy, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Authors: Alharbi, Talal , Alqurashi, Alaa , Mahmud, Ilias , Alharbi, Rayan , Islam, Sheikh , Almustanyir, Sami , Maklad, Ahmed , AlSarraj, Ahmad , Mughaiss, Lujain , Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar , Ahmed, Ahmed , Barry, Mazin , Ghozy, Sherief , Alabdan, Lulwah , Alif, Sheikh , Sultana, Farhana , Salehin, Masudus , Banik, Biswajit , Cross, Wendy , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Healthcare (Switzerland) Vol. 11, no. 8 (2023), p.
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- Description: (1) Background: COVID-19 caused the worst international public health crisis, accompanied by major global economic downturns and mass-scale job losses, which impacted the psychosocial wellbeing of the worldwide population, including Saudi Arabia. Evidence of the high-risk groups impacted by the pandemic has been non-existent in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study examined factors associated with psychosocial distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping strategies among the general population in Saudi Arabia. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in healthcare and community settings in the Saudi Arabia using an anonymous online questionnaire. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) were used to assess psychological distress, fear and coping strategies, respectively. Multivariate logistic regressions were used, and an Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) was reported. (3) Results: Among 803 participants, 70% (n = 556) were females, and the median age was 27 years; 35% (n = 278) were frontline or essential service workers; and 24% (n = 195) reported comorbid conditions including mental health illness. Of the respondents, 175 (21.8%) and 207 (25.8%) reported high and very high psychological distress, respectively. Factors associated with moderate to high levels of psychological distress were: youth, females, non-Saudi nationals, those experiencing a change in employment or a negative financial impact, having comorbidities, and current smoking. A high level of fear was reported by 89 participants (11.1%), and this was associated with being ex-smokers (3.72, 1.14–12.14, 0.029) and changes in employment (3.42, 1.91–6.11, 0.000). A high resilience was reported by 115 participants (14.3%), and 333 participants (41.5%) had medium resilience. Financial impact and contact with known/suspected cases (1.63, 1.12–2.38, 0.011) were associated with low, medium, to high resilient coping. (4) Conclusions: People in Saudi Arabia were at a higher risk of psychosocial distress along with medium-high resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, warranting urgent attention from healthcare providers and policymakers to provide specific mental health support strategies for their current wellbeing and to avoid a post-pandemic mental health crisis. © 2023 by the authors.
- Authors: Alharbi, Talal , Alqurashi, Alaa , Mahmud, Ilias , Alharbi, Rayan , Islam, Sheikh , Almustanyir, Sami , Maklad, Ahmed , AlSarraj, Ahmad , Mughaiss, Lujain , Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar , Ahmed, Ahmed , Barry, Mazin , Ghozy, Sherief , Alabdan, Lulwah , Alif, Sheikh , Sultana, Farhana , Salehin, Masudus , Banik, Biswajit , Cross, Wendy , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Healthcare (Switzerland) Vol. 11, no. 8 (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: (1) Background: COVID-19 caused the worst international public health crisis, accompanied by major global economic downturns and mass-scale job losses, which impacted the psychosocial wellbeing of the worldwide population, including Saudi Arabia. Evidence of the high-risk groups impacted by the pandemic has been non-existent in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study examined factors associated with psychosocial distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping strategies among the general population in Saudi Arabia. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in healthcare and community settings in the Saudi Arabia using an anonymous online questionnaire. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) were used to assess psychological distress, fear and coping strategies, respectively. Multivariate logistic regressions were used, and an Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) was reported. (3) Results: Among 803 participants, 70% (n = 556) were females, and the median age was 27 years; 35% (n = 278) were frontline or essential service workers; and 24% (n = 195) reported comorbid conditions including mental health illness. Of the respondents, 175 (21.8%) and 207 (25.8%) reported high and very high psychological distress, respectively. Factors associated with moderate to high levels of psychological distress were: youth, females, non-Saudi nationals, those experiencing a change in employment or a negative financial impact, having comorbidities, and current smoking. A high level of fear was reported by 89 participants (11.1%), and this was associated with being ex-smokers (3.72, 1.14–12.14, 0.029) and changes in employment (3.42, 1.91–6.11, 0.000). A high resilience was reported by 115 participants (14.3%), and 333 participants (41.5%) had medium resilience. Financial impact and contact with known/suspected cases (1.63, 1.12–2.38, 0.011) were associated with low, medium, to high resilient coping. (4) Conclusions: People in Saudi Arabia were at a higher risk of psychosocial distress along with medium-high resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, warranting urgent attention from healthcare providers and policymakers to provide specific mental health support strategies for their current wellbeing and to avoid a post-pandemic mental health crisis. © 2023 by the authors.
Coping and resilience in farming families affected by drought
- Boyd, Candice, Caldwell, Kirra
- Authors: Boyd, Candice , Caldwell, Kirra
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural and Remote Health Vol. 9, no. (2009), p.
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- Description: Objectives: The present study was a qualitative investigation of the impact of drought on rural families of southern New South Wales, Australia, with particular emphasis on the concept of resilience in times of stress. The aim was to provide insight, from a psychological perspective, into the experiences of rural farmers in a time of adversity, and to identify the coping resources utilized by these farming families. Method: Participants were 11 members of five families from Blighty, a small farming town in the Riverina district, experiencing drought and decreased water allocation to their local area. Family members were interviewed on two separate occasions at their farms. Results: Analysis of interview transcripts revealed that a wide range of coping strategies were being utilized by these families from problem-focussed coping, optimism and positive appraisal to less adaptive strategies such as cognitive dissonance, denial and avoidance of negative social influences. A significant finding was the discovery of a range of collective coping strategies used by the families in this study and the reliance on social capital as an adaptive resource. There were signs, however, that social cohesion of this community had become compromised due to competition for resources. Conclusion: The adaptive coping mechanisms traditionally employed by these farming families are starting to weaken and urgent work to enhance the individual coping strategies of farmers is needed. Furthermore, Government needs to recognise the importance of social capital as a coping resource that will enable farming families to adapt and survive drought conditions into the future. Providing financial assistance to support current community initiatives and collective coping strategies may prove more beneficial to farmers than allocating inadequate amounts of funding to individual farming families.
- Description: 2003008039
- Authors: Boyd, Candice , Caldwell, Kirra
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural and Remote Health Vol. 9, no. (2009), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: The present study was a qualitative investigation of the impact of drought on rural families of southern New South Wales, Australia, with particular emphasis on the concept of resilience in times of stress. The aim was to provide insight, from a psychological perspective, into the experiences of rural farmers in a time of adversity, and to identify the coping resources utilized by these farming families. Method: Participants were 11 members of five families from Blighty, a small farming town in the Riverina district, experiencing drought and decreased water allocation to their local area. Family members were interviewed on two separate occasions at their farms. Results: Analysis of interview transcripts revealed that a wide range of coping strategies were being utilized by these families from problem-focussed coping, optimism and positive appraisal to less adaptive strategies such as cognitive dissonance, denial and avoidance of negative social influences. A significant finding was the discovery of a range of collective coping strategies used by the families in this study and the reliance on social capital as an adaptive resource. There were signs, however, that social cohesion of this community had become compromised due to competition for resources. Conclusion: The adaptive coping mechanisms traditionally employed by these farming families are starting to weaken and urgent work to enhance the individual coping strategies of farmers is needed. Furthermore, Government needs to recognise the importance of social capital as a coping resource that will enable farming families to adapt and survive drought conditions into the future. Providing financial assistance to support current community initiatives and collective coping strategies may prove more beneficial to farmers than allocating inadequate amounts of funding to individual farming families.
- Description: 2003008039
Vulnerability modelling and mitigation strategies for hybrid networks
- Authors: Ur-Rehman, Attiq
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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- Description: Hybrid networks nowadays consist of traditional IT components, Internet of Things (IoT) and industrial control systems (ICS) nodes with varying characteristics, making them genuinely heterogeneous in nature. Historically evolving from traditional internet-enabled IT servers, hybrid networks allow organisations to strengthen cybersecurity, increase flexibility, improve efficiency, enhance reliability, boost remote connectivity and easy management. Though hybrid networks offer significant benefits from business and operational perspectives, this integration has increased the complexity and security challenges to all connected nodes. The IT servers of these hybrid networks are high-budget devices with tremendous processing power and significant storage capacity. In contrast, IoT nodes are low-cost devices with limited processing power and capacity. In addition, the ICS nodes are programmed for dedicated functions with the least interference. The available cybersecurity solutions for hybrid networks are either for specific node types or address particular weaknesses. Due to these distinct characteristics, these solutions may place other nodes in vulnerable positions. This study addresses this gap by proposing a comprehensive vulnerability modelling and mitigation strategy. This proposed solution equally applies to each node type of hybrid network while considering their unique characteristics. For this purpose, the industry-wide adoption of the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) has been extended to embed the distinct characteristics of each node type in a hybrid network. To embed IoT features, the ‘attack vectors’ and ‘attack complexity vectors’ are modified and another metric “human safety index”, is integrated in the ‘Base metric group’ of CVSS. In addition, the ICS related characteristics are included in the ‘Environmental metric group’ of CVSS. This metric group is further enhanced to reflect the node resilience capabilities when evaluating the vulnerability score. The resilience of a node is evaluated by analysing the complex relationship of numerous contributing cyber security factors and practices. The evolved CVSSR-IoT-ICS framework proposed in the thesis measures the given vulnerabilities by adopting the unique dynamics of each node. These vulnerability scores are then mapped in the attack tree to reveal the critical nodes and shortest path to the target node. The mitigating strategy framework suggests the most efficient mitigation strategy to counter vulnerabilities by examining the node’s functionality, its locality, centrality, criticality, cascading impacts, available resources, and performance thresholds. Various case studies were conducted to analyse and evaluate our proposed vulnerability modelling and mitigation strategies on realistic supply chain systems. These analyses and evaluations confirm that the proposed solutions are highly effective for modelling the vulnerabilities while the mitigation strategies reduce the risks in dynamic and resource-constrained environments. The unified vulnerability modelling of hybrid networks minimises ambiguities, reduces complexities and identifies hidden deficiencies. It also improves system reliability and performance of heterogeneous networks while at the same time gaining acceptance for a universal vulnerability modelling framework across the cyber industry. The contributions have been published in reputable journals and conferences.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Ur-Rehman, Attiq
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Hybrid networks nowadays consist of traditional IT components, Internet of Things (IoT) and industrial control systems (ICS) nodes with varying characteristics, making them genuinely heterogeneous in nature. Historically evolving from traditional internet-enabled IT servers, hybrid networks allow organisations to strengthen cybersecurity, increase flexibility, improve efficiency, enhance reliability, boost remote connectivity and easy management. Though hybrid networks offer significant benefits from business and operational perspectives, this integration has increased the complexity and security challenges to all connected nodes. The IT servers of these hybrid networks are high-budget devices with tremendous processing power and significant storage capacity. In contrast, IoT nodes are low-cost devices with limited processing power and capacity. In addition, the ICS nodes are programmed for dedicated functions with the least interference. The available cybersecurity solutions for hybrid networks are either for specific node types or address particular weaknesses. Due to these distinct characteristics, these solutions may place other nodes in vulnerable positions. This study addresses this gap by proposing a comprehensive vulnerability modelling and mitigation strategy. This proposed solution equally applies to each node type of hybrid network while considering their unique characteristics. For this purpose, the industry-wide adoption of the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) has been extended to embed the distinct characteristics of each node type in a hybrid network. To embed IoT features, the ‘attack vectors’ and ‘attack complexity vectors’ are modified and another metric “human safety index”, is integrated in the ‘Base metric group’ of CVSS. In addition, the ICS related characteristics are included in the ‘Environmental metric group’ of CVSS. This metric group is further enhanced to reflect the node resilience capabilities when evaluating the vulnerability score. The resilience of a node is evaluated by analysing the complex relationship of numerous contributing cyber security factors and practices. The evolved CVSSR-IoT-ICS framework proposed in the thesis measures the given vulnerabilities by adopting the unique dynamics of each node. These vulnerability scores are then mapped in the attack tree to reveal the critical nodes and shortest path to the target node. The mitigating strategy framework suggests the most efficient mitigation strategy to counter vulnerabilities by examining the node’s functionality, its locality, centrality, criticality, cascading impacts, available resources, and performance thresholds. Various case studies were conducted to analyse and evaluate our proposed vulnerability modelling and mitigation strategies on realistic supply chain systems. These analyses and evaluations confirm that the proposed solutions are highly effective for modelling the vulnerabilities while the mitigation strategies reduce the risks in dynamic and resource-constrained environments. The unified vulnerability modelling of hybrid networks minimises ambiguities, reduces complexities and identifies hidden deficiencies. It also improves system reliability and performance of heterogeneous networks while at the same time gaining acceptance for a universal vulnerability modelling framework across the cyber industry. The contributions have been published in reputable journals and conferences.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Coping strategies to overcome psychological distress and fear during COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait
- Elaidy, Asmaa, Hammoud, Majeda, N. Albatineh, Ahmed, Ridha, Fatma, Hammoud, Sabri, Elsadek, Hala, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Authors: Elaidy, Asmaa , Hammoud, Majeda , N. Albatineh, Ahmed , Ridha, Fatma , Hammoud, Sabri , Elsadek, Hala , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Middle East Current Psychiatry Vol. 30, no. 1 (2023), p.
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- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has detrimental effects on both physical and psychological well-being of community people worldwide. The purpose of this research was to determine coping strategies and the factors associated with psychological distress and fear among adults in Kuwait during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Participants with good-excellent mental health perception had significantly lower prevalence of reporting high psychological distress, while those identified as patients as used health services in the past 4 weeks had significantly higher prevalence of reporting high psychological distress. On the other hand, individuals born in the same country of residence, whose financial situation was impacted by COVID-19 had significantly lower prevalence of reporting high levels of fear from COVID-19. Those with an income source, with co-morbidities, tested negative to COVID-19, being frontline or essential worker, reported medium to high psychological distress and had significantly higher prevalence of high levels of fear of COVID-19. Conclusions: Mental health services should be provided in addition to the existing services in primary healthcare settings, so that the impact of ongoing pandemic on psychological wellbeing of people in Kuwait can be addressed. © 2023, The Author(s).
- Authors: Elaidy, Asmaa , Hammoud, Majeda , N. Albatineh, Ahmed , Ridha, Fatma , Hammoud, Sabri , Elsadek, Hala , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Middle East Current Psychiatry Vol. 30, no. 1 (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has detrimental effects on both physical and psychological well-being of community people worldwide. The purpose of this research was to determine coping strategies and the factors associated with psychological distress and fear among adults in Kuwait during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Participants with good-excellent mental health perception had significantly lower prevalence of reporting high psychological distress, while those identified as patients as used health services in the past 4 weeks had significantly higher prevalence of reporting high psychological distress. On the other hand, individuals born in the same country of residence, whose financial situation was impacted by COVID-19 had significantly lower prevalence of reporting high levels of fear from COVID-19. Those with an income source, with co-morbidities, tested negative to COVID-19, being frontline or essential worker, reported medium to high psychological distress and had significantly higher prevalence of high levels of fear of COVID-19. Conclusions: Mental health services should be provided in addition to the existing services in primary healthcare settings, so that the impact of ongoing pandemic on psychological wellbeing of people in Kuwait can be addressed. © 2023, The Author(s).
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