Background: Depression impacts around 300 million people worldwide and places significant strain on families who care for relatives with chronic mental health conditions. This strain can lead to substantial burdens and affect the mental health and well-being of family members. Aim: This study explores family members' experiences with depression through the lens of Frank's illness narratives. Methods: Employing a narrative inquiry approach, interviews were conducted with eight family members of adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The data were analysed through the lens of Frank's illness narratives. Findings: Family members' experiences revealed a complex interplay of narratives that reflected the elements of the narratives of quest, chaos, and restitution. The narratives illustrated an ongoing process of adaptation, meaning-making, and personal transformation while living with a family member diagnosed with depression. All narratives portrayed the concept of hope, and this was manifested in different ways across the narrative types. Conclusion: While Frank's narratives traditionally focus on individuals living with chronic health conditions, this study extends the work to the family member perspective, revealing how families navigate the burden, distress, and challenges of depression while also experiencing personal growth and hope. This paper expands our understanding of the broader impacts of depression on families. (c) 2024 Australian College of Nursing Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Depression is a cause of disability globally and affects not only the person living with the condition, but the whole family. How people construct meaning to ‘live well’ and make sense of the reality of living with a person diagnosed with depression were explored through narrative inquiry and stories. The purpose of this article is to justify the use of narrative inquiry methodology to explore how people make meaning and find ways to live well and live with a family member who lives with depression. An interpretivist epistemological perspective, with the ontological principles of critical realism, and a social constructionist approach were chosen to guide the methodological framework. This was because how people construct the stories about their experiences will influence how those stories are told and what meaning is given to them. Eight people who live with a family member diagnosed with depression told their stories for this study. A realist approach to data analysis was taken, transcribed data were re-storied with redundancies removed, and member checked for accuracy. Using McCormack’s and Chases’ Lenses, the data revealed the strengths and challenges individuals faced when living with a family member with depression. Narrative Inquiry was an appropriate methodology to reveal how participants made sense of and constructed meaning about living well when living with a family member who lives with depression. Through the cyclical nature of depressive illness, participants navigated the fluctuations and uncertainties to find ways to live well and live with their family member. The research has the potential to adopt aspects of a family strengths-based and family systems approach into clinical practice, which would be valuable in supporting families living with depression and other mental health conditions.

COVID-19 has changed the world in many ways, and while some families were divided by geographical distances and mandatory "stay-at-home" orders during lockdowns, others became fractured owing to decisions about vaccination. This novel exploratory qualitative study questions how family systems and COVID-19 attitudes influenced the vaccine decisions of 10 Australian First Nations individuals. Despite the significance of family in decision making, the advice of respected family members became insignificant when nonvaccination resulted in the undesirable consequences of coercive government mandates. The thematic analysis identifies themes of choice, repeated wrongs of the past, trust, relationships, isolation, and parenting anxiety. It also demonstrates the resiliency of First Nations families, evident in the creative ways family systems adapted during the pandemic. This study has implications for governments and health service planning toward community COVID-19 support systems in a postpandemic context and provides ideas for further research into First Nations service provision during health crises. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

BackgroundWith the high and growing prevalence of depression worldwide, there is an increasing number of families assuming the role of caregivers for family members with mental health conditions such as depression.AimThe aim of this study was to explore how family members describe and perceive the experience of living well with a family member living with depression.MethodsNarrative inquiry was used to elicit stories from eight participants who lived with an adult family member diagnosed with depression. Narrative and thematic analysis were used.FindingsParticipants described the experience of living well through the themes of ‘times of uncertainty, distress, change, adaptation, perseverance, endurance, hope, and healing.’DiscussionThis study found that participants needed to make substantial psychosocial adaptations and modification to roles, goals, and relationships that they described as necessary to live well. Living well was described as synonymous with ‘normal’ living when living with a family member living with depression. Depression was described as bringing disruption, change, adaptation, challenges, acceptance, gains, and hope. Although paradoxical in terms of societal understandings of living well, participants described their current state of being as an example of living well.ConclusionThe findings highlight the necessity for health professionals, mental health, and comprehensively trained nurses to adopt an integrated way of examining a family’s dynamics. Attention ought to be given to strengths, and concerns in health and illness when supporting families, not just the person diagnosed with depression.

Public sector organizations (PSOs) are subject to turbulence and constant change. A PSO's ability to lead a coherent response to this rapidly changing environment is crucial to ensuring the continuity of public service delivery. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for dynamic leadership strategies to address turbulent events and promote resilience in PSOs. This study utilized focus groups and interview data from one large Australian PSO to examine leadership practices that were implemented to respond to a series of turbulent events. Specifically, the study adapted six robust governance strategies (i.e., scalability, prototyping, modularization, bounded autonomy, bricolage, and strategic polyvalence) to explore their pragmatic application in the context of the case PSO in responding to two turbulent events (i.e., relocation and COVID-19 pandemic). Findings show that while deploying all the strategies is beneficial, the power of polyvalent knowledge together with dynamic leadership and governance structures within PSOs is one way that PSOs can continue to respond to ever increasing environmental uncertainty and resource constraints. Practical implications are discussed.

Cybercrime has rapidly grown in prevalence and potential for harm and disruption for victims. Studies have examined the adverse psychological impact of cybercrime for victims; however, the specific effects for victims of hacking are unexplored. The present study aimed to investigate the psychological impacts of hacking victimization through exploration of the experience of victims of hacking. The study employed an in-depth phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of 11 victims of hacking. Semi-structured interviews were used as a tool for data collection, and thematic analysis of the data revealed four main themes: emotional impact; an increased sense of vulnerability; a sense of violation; and coping strategies. The findings highlight that hacking may have significant consequences for victims, and further, that hacking may represent an intrusion into a victim’s “digital space.” Recommendations are discussed for providing support to victims through measures aimed at increasing victim’s self-efficacy, sense of control over their digital environment, and increasing community awareness about the potential adverse impacts for victims of hacking.

Objective: A substantial body of research exists regarding vicarious trauma (VT) exposure among helping professionals across disciplines and settings. There is limited research, however, on exposure to VT in qualitative researchers studying traumatized populations. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of qualitative researchers who study traumatized populations and to identify potential protective strategies for reducing the risk of VT. Methods: The study utilized a qualitative methodological design. Focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured script. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify both risk factors and protective factors associated with VT. A sample of 58 research participants were recruited using a multimodal recruitment strategy. Results: Using thematic analysis, the following key themes emerged: exposure to primary trauma, the impact of stigma, organizational context, individual context, and research context. The opportunity for posttraumatic growth was also identified. Conclusion: Qualitative researchers of traumatized populations need to recognize the potential for VT and implement appropriate protection strategies from the risk of VT. The development of policies and guidelines that recognize the importance of both self-care and plan for researcher safety and well-being is a potential strategy for building researcher resilience and preventing VT.

While distressing, late life spousal loss is considered a normative life event and most demonstrate resilient recovery from grief. However, for 5-7% of the population spousal loss comes early, before the age of 50, and little is known about the factors that influence adjustment in this population. We used the DPM integrative framework to examine correlates and predictors of mental wellbeing and grief intensity in an international sample of 603 young widows and widowers. Contrary to existing bereavement research, loss-orientated stressors (e.g., expectedness and cause of death) did not predict bereavement outcomes. Employment and financial wellbeing were the only statistically significant restoration-orientated stressors associated with coping, mental wellbeing and grief intensity. We found no significant associations between parental status and coping or bereavement outcomes. Loss-orientated coping, followed by inter and intrapersonal protective factors for resilience and financial wellbeing were the greatest predictors of grief intensity. Loss-orientated coping was highest in early bereavement, the greatest predictor of grief intensity and associated with being unemployed, financial insecurity and decreased protective factors for resilience. Restoration-orientated coping was highest in later bereavement, was a weak predictor of grief intensity and associated with being employed, increased financial wellbeing and protective factors for resilience. Overall, we found the young-widowed population is at heightened risk of poor adjustment. Almost two-thirds reported decreased functioning, probable depression with high rates of psychological distress. Nearly half met diagnostic criteria for prolonged grief disorder. We discuss implications for research and clinical practice.

BACKGROUND:The willingness to try in vitro fertilization (IVF) as an infertility treatment, as well as its psychosocial consequences for couples, may be influenced by how they perceive the attitudes of general public towards this procedure. The focus of the current study was to identify predictors of attitudes towards mothers who underwent IVF to conceive a child. Three predictors were derived from attitude components: contact with someone who had undergone IVF (behavior), moral foundations (emotions), and the level of knowledge (cognition) about IVF.METHOD:In total, 817 participants (118 male and 692 female, 7 unreported) from Poland took part in the study. Participants were asked whether they knew a person who underwent IVF, completed a Moral Foundation Questionnaire, and answered a pre-piloted IVF knowledge test. Attitudes towards women who utilised IVF were measured with a modified Bogardus Social Distance Scale. Data were analysed using hierarchical and logistic regression analyses.RESULTS:The results showed that there was a weak link between previous contact with a person who underwent IVF and a positive attitude toward a woman who underwent IVF. The attitudes was also predicted by moral foundations: positively by care/harm and fairness/cheating foundations, and negatively by sanctity/degradation. Importantly, more knowledge about IVF was linked with a more positive attitude towards IVF, and this effect explained additional variance over and above moral foundations.CONCLUSIONS:Our study implies the need of psychoeducation to prevent stigmatization of individuals who try IVF due to infertility.

ABSTRACTObjectives:Previous research has identified a lack of clarification regarding paramedic professional obligation to work. Understanding community expectations of paramedics will provide some clarity around this issue. The objective of this research was to explore the expectations of a sample of Australian community members regarding the professional obligation of paramedics to respond during pandemics.Methods:The authors used qualitative methods to gather Australian community member perspectives immediately before the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Focus groups were used for data collection, and a thematic analysis was conducted.Results:The findings revealed 9 key themes: context of obligation (normal operations versus crisis situation), hierarchy of obligation (individual versus organizational obligation), risk acceptability, acceptable occupational risk (it’s part of the job), access to personal protective equipment, legal and ethical guidelines, education and training, safety, and acceptable limitations to obligation. The factors identified as being acceptable limitations to professional obligation are presented as further sub-themes: physical health, mental health, and competing personal obligations.Conclusions:The issue of professional obligation must be addressed by ambulance services as a matter of urgency, especially in light of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Further research is recommended to understand how community member expectations evolve during and after the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Background . Sensitive measures of early lung disease are being integrated into therapeutic trials and clinical practice in cystic fibrosis (CF). The impact of early disease surveillance (EDS) using these novel and often intensive techniques on young children and their families is not well researched. Methods . The Australian Respiratory Early Surveillance Team for Cystic Fibrosis (AREST CF) has operated a combined clinical and research early disease surveillance program, based around annual chest CT scan, bronchoscopy and lung function from newborn screening diagnosis until age 6 years, for over two-decades. To explore parental experiences of EDS in their child, a qualitative study was conducted using audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews in n = 46 mothers and n = 21 fathers of children (aged 3-months to six years) attending CF centres in Perth and Melbourne, Australia. Themes were developed iteratively using thematic analysis and assessed for validity and confirmability. Results . Parents' experiences were positive overall; affording a sense of control over CF, disease knowledge, and belief that EDS was in the best interests of their child. Challenges included poor understanding about EDS measures leading to anxiety and distress, self-blame surrounding adverse findings, and emotional burden of surveillance visits. Tailored information regarding the practical and psychosocial aspects of EDS were endorsed. Conclusion . While experiences were generally positive there is need for information and psychosocial support for parents to mitigate anxiety and develop positive coping strategies surrounding surveillance procedures and results. Managing expectations regarding risks and benefits of disease surveillance in clinical and research settings are important aspects of care. Crown Copyright (c) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of European Cystic Fibrosis Society. All rights reserved.

Childhood abuse has been associated with a broad range of adverse cognitive, emotional, behavioural and social outcomes. Research specific to adult male prisoners indicates an association between childhood abuse experiences and crime recidivism, mental health issues, substance abuse and interpersonal difficulties. The purpose of this review was to conduct a systematic investigation of databases, using predetermined search strategies and key terms, in order to collate and describe the current literature examining the impact childhood abuse has on the functioning of adult males incarcerated for criminal offences. The investigation yielded 217 studies, which, through further analysis, was reduced to a total of 17 peer-reviewed articles. A narrative synthesis summary of findings was subsequently carried out. The findings identified four main themes, revealing the means by which childhood abuse impacts the functioning of adult male prisoners: mental health difficulties, crime and recidivism, substance use and behaviour/personality issues. In addition, less robust themes of revictimisation and adult life functional difficulties were revealed. Lastly, the noteworthy limitations of the collated research and the clinical implications for the findings were discussed.

ObjectiveTo examine the association between scores on the Protective Factors for Resilience Scale (PFRS) (as a measure of a person's psycho-social resources for resilience) and quality of life as well as symptoms of psychological distress for adult cancer survivors. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 295 cancer survivors (59% female) provided background demographic information and completed the PFRS as well as measures of quality of life and psychological distress previously validated with cancer survivors. Most of the survivors were diagnosed with breast or prostate cancer. ResultsAnalysis of the data confirmed the factor structure for the PFRS for cancer survivors. While controlling for Body Mass Index and age, psycho-social resources were a unique and positive predictor for all quality of life measures as well as being a unique and negative predictor for the measures of psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and somatization). There was a high degree of consistency regarding these findings for male and female survivors. ConclusionsThe PFRS is a brief and valid measure of psycho-social resources for resilience in adult cancer survivors, and scores on the PFRS proved to be a good predictor of quality of life and psychological distress of these cancer survivors. Using the PFRS to assess the psycho-social resources for resilience would be helpful when developing interventions to enhance the psychological health of adults as they adapt to a diagnosis of cancer.

Objectives: Although surviving bone resection/limb salvage surgery treatment is the beginning of the journey towards recovery, the importance of providing patients with post-operative psychological support is often overlooked by health professionals. Hence, patients typically are left to their own devices in terms of ensuring their mental health and well-being. Methodological Approach and Participants: This qualitative analysis of seven long-term sarcoma survivors' reflective journal entries provides insights into the different phases of distress, resilience building, resilient growth and advice-giving that they moved through during their survivorship journey. Interpretation: Our findings identify the fragility of patient resilience and highlight areas for future research.

The present paper outlines the development of the Protective Factors for Resilience Scale (PFRS). To address limitations in the literature related to measuring psychological resilience this paper outlines a two stage process in developing the PFRS. After an initial exploratory factor analysis (Stage 1: N = 413 adults), the result of confirmatory factor analysis (Stage 2: N = 240 adults) supported the proposed model where a single second-order factor explained the degree of association between three lower order factors (Personal Resources, Social Resources Family and Social Resources Peers, each indicated by 5 items per factor). Other evidence of the construct validity for the PFRS was observed in stage 2 as the expected associations between the PFRS and measures of self-esteem, coping styles (except for problem-focused coping) and life satisfaction were observed. Although future testing of the PFRS with other populations is needed, the results of the present study provide initial evidence to support the view that the PFRS is a psychometrically sound, brief and broad measure of three protective factors associated with resilience.