Mothers of Soldiers in Wartime: A National News Narrative

National news media represent mothers of US combat soldiers in the Iraq War as archetypal good mothers, that is, mothers who continue their maternal work even after their children are deployed. However, not all mothers are depicted as the archetypal patriotic mother, i.e., a good mother who is also stoic and silent about the war and her child\u27s role in it. Mothers of soldiers are portrayed as good mothers who sometimes also voice their attitudes about the war effort. The maternal attitudes ranged from complete support for the war to opposition to the war but support for the soldiers. The findings suggest a picture of wartime motherhood that is more nuanced than the historical image of the patriotic mother suggests

Towards a resource-based habitat approach for spatial modelling of vector-borne disease risks

Given the veterinary and public health impact of vector-borne diseases, there is a clear need to assess the suitability of landscapes for the emergence and spread of these diseases. Current approaches for predicting disease risks neglect key features of the landscape as components of the functional habitat of vectors or hosts, and hence of the pathogen. Empirical–statistical methods do not explicitly incorporate biological mechanisms, whereas current mechanistic models are rarely spatially explicit; both methods ignore the way animals use the landscape (i.e. movement ecology). We argue that applying a functional concept for habitat, i.e. the resource-based habitat concept (RBHC), can solve these issues. The RBHC offers a framework to identify systematically the different ecological resources that are necessary for the completion of the transmission cycle and to relate these resources to (combinations of) landscape features and other environmental factors. The potential of the RBHC as a framework for identifying suitable habitats for vector-borne pathogens is explored and illustrated with the case of bluetongue virus, a midge-transmitted virus affecting ruminants. The concept facilitates the study of functional habitats of the interacting species (vectors as well as hosts) and provides new insight into spatial and temporal variation in transmission opportunities and exposure that ultimately determine disease risks. It may help to identify knowledge gaps and control options arising from changes in the spatial configuration of key resources across the landscape. The RBHC framework may act as a bridge between existing mechanistic and statistical modelling approaches

Trauma in Children and Adolescence

Children and adolescents with trauma-related presentations represent an important priority group for counsellors. Effective engagement and helpful interventions during this critical developmental phase have the potential to result in better coping trajectories throughout the life course. This chapter will provide an overview of trauma indicators in youth populations as well as associated changes young clients may experience as a result of trauma. This chapter is not intended to provide an exhaustive summary or all areas of youth trauma nor intended to be a compendium for use of interventions within these populations

Spatio-temporal optimization of sampling for bluetongue vectors (<em>Culicoides</em>) near grazing livestock

BACKGROUND: Estimating the abundance of Culicoides using light traps is influenced by a large variation in abundance in time and place. This study investigates the optimal trapping strategy to estimate the abundance or presence/absence of Culicoides on a field with grazing animals. We used 45 light traps to sample specimens from the Culicoides obsoletus species complex on a 14 hectare field during 16 nights in 2009. FINDINGS: The large number of traps and catch nights enabled us to simulate a series of samples consisting of different numbers of traps (1-15) on each night. We also varied the number of catch nights when simulating the sampling, and sampled with increasing minimum distances between traps. We used resampling to generate a distribution of different mean and median abundance in each sample. Finally, we used the hypergeometric distribution to estimate the probability of falsely detecting absence of vectors on the field. The variation in the estimated abundance decreased steeply when using up to six traps, and was less pronounced when using more traps, although no clear cutoff was found. CONCLUSIONS: Despite spatial clustering in vector abundance, we found no effect of increasing the distance between traps. We found that 18 traps were generally required to reach 90% probability of a true positive catch when sampling just one night. But when sampling over two nights the same probability level was obtained with just three traps per night. The results are useful for the design of vector monitoring programmes on fields with grazing animals

8th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium

This following provides a detailed summary regarding the case of HIV screening and health promotion within a regional/rural community in Queensland, with higher self-reported rates of stigma and discrimination. Information is provided regarding the community engagement and communication strategies employed to promote this novel screening initiative; use of community-based online technologies to promote participant recruitment, and use of respondent-driven sampling to increase engagement with hard to reach and socially isolated members of the target group. Use of peer-health promotion officers, a discrete screening environment, bringing the mobile service to the key target groups and geographical regions; onward linking and integration with mainstream health services and models of care; and direct collaborative partnering with key community organisations will be further discussed and are pivotal to the feasibility and acceptability of these types of initiatives. Broader applications to other health areas will also be discussed

The Strategies of Picture Books as a Mode of Health Communication for Young Children with Coeliac Disease

Background/Objectives: Coeliac disease, a chronic and lifelong health condition, is one of the most common autoimmune diseases. However, it is also one of the most under-recognised conditions, and emotionally and cognitively appropriate materials are especially lacking for young children and their families who are coping with this disease. Effective health communication is essential for educating and supporting children living with coeliac disease as well as their families and communities. Picture books can serve as useful and accessible educational and health promotion tools, promoting adaptive coping strategies for dealing with a potentially traumatic condition. Methods: This study aimed to fill a critical gap in the literature by examining a range of picture books (n = 9) aimed at children three to eight years of age diagnosed with coeliac disease. Reflective thematic and structural narrative analyses were applied to explore strategies and themes used in these books and how they align with the current literature on developing coping through children’s narratives. Results: Four themes were developed and measured against an existing model of coping narratives to find a more specific model that recognises the specific concerns of coeliac disease. The four themes found were Information Provision; Promotion of CD Management; Anxiety and Hypervigilance Reduction, with two subthemes of Validating Feelings and Reducing Concerns; and Community and Connection. Conclusions: The findings have likely implications for the following applications: incorporation into clinician training (as a therapeutic and health promotion intervention), support within schools, authors of similar books for children coping with chronic illness, and coping approaches for individuals/families to promote health literacy/support regarding living with coeliac disease

Trauma in Adults

Clients with trauma-related presentations seeking counselling are a unique sub-population with specific needs and challenges. The nature of this work can be both challenging and rewarding and have significant potential to affect the individual’s life trajectory in positive ways. Counselling can provide a forum to assist with support, validation, meaning-making and processing of trauma to assist people to live to their potential. Therefore, this chapter will provide an overview of types of trauma and the psychological effects of trauma. It will identify relevant screening and distress assessment tools relevant to trauma, as well as an overview of possible evidence-based interventions. The chapter then discusses considerations for counsellors when working with trauma-affected clients

Metacognitions mediate HIV stigma & depression/anxiety in men who have sex with men living with HIV

The study examined whether the relationships between HIV stigma and depression and anxiety would be mediated by metacognitive beliefs and thought control strategies among men who have sex with men whom are living with HIV. Participants completed an online survey that measured 30-item Metacognitions Questionnaire, thought control strategies (Thought Control Questionnaire), and symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7). The relationships between internalised and anticipated HIV stigma with depressive symptoms were mediated by negative metacognitive beliefs and the use of worry and social thought control strategies. Negative Metacognitive beliefs mediated the association between internalised HIV stigma and anxiety symptoms

14th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine: Behavioral Medicine: Making an Impact in the Modern World (ICBM 2016)

The study examined whether the relationships between HIV stigma and depression and anxiety would be mediated by metacognitive beliefs and thought control strategies among men who have sex with men whom are living with HIV. Participants completed an online survey that measured 30-item Metacognitions Questionnaire, thought control strategies (Thought Control Questionnaire), and symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7). The relationships between internalised and anticipated HIV stigma with depressive symptoms were mediated by negative metacognitive beliefs and the use of worry and social thought control strategies. Negative Metacognitive beliefs mediated the association between internalised HIV stigma and anxiety symptoms