Melissa Oxlad
Biographic Data
| ID | 304600 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Melissa Oxlad |
| GIVEN NAMES | Melissa |
| FAMILY NAME | Oxlad |
| SIGNATURE | OXLAD M |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Adelaide |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9067-6706 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 35 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 77 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 35 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Parents’ perceptions of their children’s behavior following the perinatal death of a sibling
Perinatal death can have adverse health outcomes for parents and extended family, including siblings. Most perinatal death research focuses on parental impacts; little is known about the impact on siblings. We explored parents' perceptions of their children's behavior following the perinatal death of a sibling. Seven parents (five females and two males) participated in semi-structured interviews. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed si…
Development and content validation of the Quality in Psychology Simulation Instrument (QPSI)
Objective The Australian psychology training landscape is changing, and simulation is increasingly being used. Therefore, it is essential for educators to accurately assess the quality of such training activities. This article outlines the development of the Quality in Psychology Simulation Instrument (QPSI), a measure for educators to evaluate the quality of Simulated Learning Activities (SLA) at all psychology training levels.Method Nine psycho…
Young males’ perspectives of gender-transformative health promotion programs
Lost in translation?“
Digital platforms such as websites play an increasingly important role in supporting perinatal mental health, yet their reach, cultural responsiveness, and effectiveness among women of migrant backgrounds remain under-explored. This study aimed to understand how women from diverse migrant communities engage with five digital perinatal mental health resources and to identify factors influencing their access, engagement, and overall experiences. We…
Support sought and offered online for miscarriage
OBJECTIVE: Responses to miscarriage can vary, with many, but not all, people describing inadequate support, feelings of isolation and significant psychological distress. Limited knowledge exists about the support that people seek and offer online following miscarriage. We aimed to explore how people impacted by miscarriage use an online Facebook support group to seek and offer support. METHODS AND MEASURES: We employed directed content analysis t…
A Qualitative Content Analysis of Men's Online Discussions About Their Partner's Contraceptive Use
As restrictions on abortion access increase, men's roles in pregnancy prevention are important to consider. Despite contraceptive responsibility largely falling on women, men also experience concerns, anxieties, and information gaps regarding contraception and unintended pregnancy. We conducted a reflexive content analysis of 699 posts from the subreddit r/birthcontrol, aiming to explore what men discuss regarding their partner's use of contracep…
Developing a modified and contextualised Occupational Justice Health Questionnaire (OJHQ) for use with marginalised populations
Perceptions and experiences of gaining and maintaining power in romantic relationships
Guided by empirical work on coercive and collaborative lay theories of power, this qualitative study explored perceptions and experiences of power acquisition and maintenance in romantic relationships. Utilising data from 15 semi-structured interviews, we generated four themes using reflexive thematic analysis. Two themes related to the coercive theory of power: (1) patriarchal culture automatically affords men more power, (2) the practice of coe…
The Effects of Using Psychotherapeutic e-Mental Health Interventions on Men’s Depression and Anxiety
While psychotherapeutic e-mental health interventions may circumvent barriers that many men face in accessing mental health care, the effects of men using these interventions have not been evaluated. We aimed to synthesise the characteristics of psychotherapeutic e-mental health interventions for depression or anxiety that have been trialled and evaluated in men, and synthesise and meta-analyse the effects of these interventions on men’s depressi…
‘I have no life and neither do the ones watching me suffer’
“No One Asked Me If I’m Alright”
There is limited research exploring men’s experiences of infertility, and fewer previous studies have examined what information and support men desire after being diagnosed specifically with male-factor infertility. We conducted a mixed-methods study utilizing a combined sequential, concurrent design (online survey/semi-structured interviews). Survey outcomes ( N =12) were analyzed using quantitative data analysis, while qualitative survey data (…
Physical and psychological wellbeing among Australian and New Zealand patients seeking fertility treatment during Covid-19
Background: Worldwide, COVID-19 has disrupted the provision of fertility treatment and patients’ reproductive plans, resulting in heightened stress for many people seeking to form or expand their families. Aims: Our study explored health behaviour changes and psychosocial implications of COVID-19 in patients accessing fertility treatment in Australia and New Zealand. Materials and Methods: Sixty participants (58 female; 2 male) completed an onlin…
LGBTQ+ peoples' experiences of workplace leave and support following pregnancy loss
Pregnancy loss is a distressing life event for many people. While the need for workplace leave following pregnancy loss is increasingly recognized, limited research exists to inform policy change and appropriate organizational supports for LGBTQ+ people experiencing pregnancy loss. Adopting an inductive approach, we interviewed 12 LGBTQ+ people aiming to explore their workplace leave and support experiences following pregnancy losses as gestation…
The loss of a grandchild during pregnancy
Inquiry focussing on grandparents’ experiences following a child’s pregnancy loss has concentrated on shorter-term grief and support outcomes. We aimed to understand longer-term wellbeing impacts exploring outcomes 10–20 years after the loss of a grandchild/ren during pregnancy. Our study addressed the questions: what are the longer-term outcomes for grandparents experiencing the loss of a grandchild in pregnancy?; what factors contribute to redu…
Overwhelming and unjust
Limited research has examined the grief experiences of fathers following neonatal death. Using a qualitative research design, ten fathers were interviewed, and thematic analysis resulted in three overarching themes: ' A complicated grief experience: Neonatal death is highly emotional' , ' Grief is multidimensional' and 'Sense of injustice' . Overall, results showed that grief was a multidimensional experience for fathers, with expressions of grie…
Consulting parents bereaved by childhood cancer
Twelve Australian parents bereaved by childhood cancer were interviewed about their experiences of, and preferences for, bereavement support, to inform recommendations to improve bereavement care. Reflexive thematic analysis resulted in five themes: Care, empathy, and connection assist with bereavement; Communication makes a difference; Early and ongoing support is desired; Gender matters when grieving the loss of a child; and The pull of peer su…
Postgraduate students’ perceptions of simulation-based learning in professional psychology training
Objective In a field with limited placement resources, further exacerbated by challenges due to COVID-19, simulation-based learning (SBL) represents a novel, evidence-based way to expose psychology students to learning opportunities. We examine students’ experiences and perceptions of SBL during postgraduate psychology training and their views on using extended SBL to aid clinical competence development.Methods 84 students in postgraduate trainin…
Australian men's experiences of leave provisions and workplace support following pregnancy loss or neonatal death
This research note reports survey responses of Australian men (N = 220) gathered as part of a larger study exploring men's grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death. We explore the types of workplace leave offered to men and how men perceived leave and support provided by their employers. Almost all men (91%) informed their workplace of their loss, and 74% were offered some form of leave. The most common types of leave offered were compas…
Breaking the silence on sexual harassment and assault
My Skill Is Putting on a Mask and Convincing People Not to Look Closer”
Although anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health disorder in Australia, little is known about men’s anxiety help-seeking practices. This study investigates how male users of an online discussion forum accounted for engaging in troubles-telling in an online community. Posts on an online discussion forum written by men who identify as experiencing anxiety were analysed using discursive psychology, through the identification of four i…
Undergraduate psychology and dental students’ perceptions of interprofessional learning when using motivational interviewing to encourage health behaviour change
Objective To examine undergraduate psychology and dental students’ perceptions of their self-perceived ability, value and comfort in working with others in an interprofessional context.Method Students participated in a new interprofessional learning initiative incorporating motivational interviewing to encourage health behaviour change. Pre- and post-interprofessional learning survey data from 49 students and written reflections of 115 students w…
I know you shouldn't compare to other people, but I can’t do anything most people can’
Despite its prevalence, men's anxiety is arguably under‐researched and poorly understood. The present study explores the reasoning provided by male posters to an online discussion forum about the source of their anxiety. Posts were collected from an Australian anxiety online discussion forum. This study utilises discursive psychology, informed by principles of membership categorisation analysis, to describe how age, occupation and family‐related …
News media stories about cancer on Facebook
This content analysis explored associations between the framing of cancer-related health news stories on Facebook and their corresponding comments. It was found that regardless of story framing the majority of responses involved users engaging in debate and discussion rather than sharing personal experiences. Furthermore, stories framed episodically had a greater proportion of both supportive and unsupportive comments than stories framed thematic…
Grandfathers' Experiences of Grief and Support Following Pregnancy Loss or Neonatal Death of a Grandchild
Pregnancy loss and neonatal death are recognized as distressing experiences for parents and other family members. However, no research has specifically addressed the experiences of grandfathers. This study aimed to understand grandfathers' grief experiences, and to identify supports they provide, receive, and desire following the loss of a grandchild in pregnancy or the neonatal period. Semi-structured interviews with 10 Australian grandfathers w…
Men’s grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal loss
Factors associated with foster carer well-being, satisfaction and intention to continue providing out-of-home care
Managing accountability for domestic violence
Psychological research and popular discussion around domestic violence/intimate partner abuse have focussed on broad features of descriptive accounts such as victim precipitation, excusing of aggressors, and minimizing or denying the violence. Few studies have examined the finer detail of how such matters are routinely invoked in talk, and how they are regularly built in ways that make their authors appear credible and warranted. This study uses …
Australian men's experiences of leave provisions and workplace support following pregnancy loss or neonatal death
This research note reports survey responses of Australian men (N = 220) gathered as part of a larger study exploring men's grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death. We explore the types of workplace leave offered to men and how men perceived leave and support provided by their employers. Almost all men (91%) informed their workplace of their loss, and 74% were offered some form of leave. The most common types of leave offered were compas…
Men’s talk about anxiety online
Although anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health disorder among Australian men, very little is known about men's experiences of living with, and seeking help for, anxiety. This article examines how male users of an online discussion forum for "anxiety" describe their anxiety in their opening posts. Of particular interest is how such descriptions attend to issues of authenticity and the types of support that men appear to be seeking…
LGBTQ+ peoples' experiences of workplace leave and support following pregnancy loss
Pregnancy loss is a distressing life event for many people. While the need for workplace leave following pregnancy loss is increasingly recognized, limited research exists to inform policy change and appropriate organizational supports for LGBTQ+ people experiencing pregnancy loss. Adopting an inductive approach, we interviewed 12 LGBTQ+ people aiming to explore their workplace leave and support experiences following pregnancy losses as gestation…
Overwhelming and unjust
Limited research has examined the grief experiences of fathers following neonatal death. Using a qualitative research design, ten fathers were interviewed, and thematic analysis resulted in three overarching themes: ' A complicated grief experience: Neonatal death is highly emotional' , ' Grief is multidimensional' and 'Sense of injustice' . Overall, results showed that grief was a multidimensional experience for fathers, with expressions of grie…
Barriers and facilitators to effective type 2 diabetes management in a rural context
Although effective type 2 diabetes management is essential for the prevention of complications, it is rarely carried out. Type 2 diabetes deaths in rural areas are higher than in metropolitan areas. A focus group ( n = 8) and telephone interviews with patients ( n = 10), and telephone interviews with health professionals ( n = 18) in rural areas were conducted to examine this issue in a rural context. Inductive thematic analysis was used to gener…
Objective Structured Clinical Examinations with simulated patients in postgraduate psychology training
ObjectiveObjective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) involving simulated patients (SPs) are being incorporated into professional psychology training to teach and assess competencies. However, students' perceptions of SP use in their education are mixed.Moreover, there are limited reports of student perceptions of OSCEs in psychology beyond quantitative measures. This is the first report of extensive use of feedback in an OSCE in psychology…
Melanoma and its relationship with solarium use Health knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of young women
Despite growing evidence of a relationship between solarium use and melanoma development, few studies have examined knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards solarium use among young women. Females aged 18-26 years attended one of six focus groups ( N = 27, seven solarium users and 20 non-users). Three specific themes were endorsed: (1) melanoma knowledge; (2) perceptions of melanoma risk and ways to encourage behaviour change; and (3) health pr…
Longitudinal Risk Factors for Adverse Psychological Functioning Six Months after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
This research aimed to identify modifiable risk factors for poor psychological functioning six months post-operatively, using a chronic illness model to explain the relationships between risk factors. Consecutive elective CABG patients ( N = 119) completed self-report measures including optimism, illness representations, self-rated health, social support, coping methods, depression, anxiety and PTSD symptomatology in a repeated measures design. P…
A Qualitative Content Analysis of Men's Online Discussions About Their Partner's Contraceptive Use
As restrictions on abortion access increase, men's roles in pregnancy prevention are important to consider. Despite contraceptive responsibility largely falling on women, men also experience concerns, anxieties, and information gaps regarding contraception and unintended pregnancy. We conducted a reflexive content analysis of 699 posts from the subreddit r/birthcontrol, aiming to explore what men discuss regarding their partner's use of contracep…
Developing a modified and contextualised Occupational Justice Health Questionnaire (OJHQ) for use with marginalised populations
I know you shouldn't compare to other people, but I can’t do anything most people can’
Despite its prevalence, men's anxiety is arguably under‐researched and poorly understood. The present study explores the reasoning provided by male posters to an online discussion forum about the source of their anxiety. Posts were collected from an Australian anxiety online discussion forum. This study utilises discursive psychology, informed by principles of membership categorisation analysis, to describe how age, occupation and family‐related …
News media stories about cancer on Facebook
This content analysis explored associations between the framing of cancer-related health news stories on Facebook and their corresponding comments. It was found that regardless of story framing the majority of responses involved users engaging in debate and discussion rather than sharing personal experiences. Furthermore, stories framed episodically had a greater proportion of both supportive and unsupportive comments than stories framed thematic…
I Feel Abused by My Own Mind
Men's experiences with anxiety are under-researched and poorly understood. Existing research gives little indication of how men talk about anxiety in situ, and little is known about how men describe their experiences of anxiety. Online discussion forums provide an opportunity to conduct naturalistic observations of how men describe their experiences with anxiety without the influence of a researcher. Thematic analysis, informed by principles of d…
The psychosocial concerns and needs of women recently diagnosed with breast cancer
Objective To qualitatively identify the concerns and needs of Australian women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Background Breast cancer diagnosis can lead to impairment in multiple areas of psychosocial well‐being, including physical, social and emotional functioning. Research has therefore begun to focus on identifying and addressing survivors’ concerns and needs, with most research examining the time of treatment completion. However diag…
Longitudinal Risk Factors for Adverse Psychological Functioning Six Months after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
This research aimed to identify modifiable risk factors for poor psychological functioning six months post-operatively, using a chronic illness model to explain the relationships between risk factors. Consecutive elective CABG patients ( N = 119) completed self-report measures including optimism, illness representations, self-rated health, social support, coping methods, depression, anxiety and PTSD symptomatology in a repeated measures design. P…
Factors associated with foster carer well-being, satisfaction and intention to continue providing out-of-home care
Managing accountability for domestic violence
Psychological research and popular discussion around domestic violence/intimate partner abuse have focussed on broad features of descriptive accounts such as victim precipitation, excusing of aggressors, and minimizing or denying the violence. Few studies have examined the finer detail of how such matters are routinely invoked in talk, and how they are regularly built in ways that make their authors appear credible and warranted. This study uses …
Melanoma and its relationship with solarium use Health knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of young women
Despite growing evidence of a relationship between solarium use and melanoma development, few studies have examined knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards solarium use among young women. Females aged 18-26 years attended one of six focus groups ( N = 27, seven solarium users and 20 non-users). Three specific themes were endorsed: (1) melanoma knowledge; (2) perceptions of melanoma risk and ways to encourage behaviour change; and (3) health pr…
Barriers and facilitators to effective type 2 diabetes management in a rural context
Although effective type 2 diabetes management is essential for the prevention of complications, it is rarely carried out. Type 2 diabetes deaths in rural areas are higher than in metropolitan areas. A focus group ( n = 8) and telephone interviews with patients ( n = 10), and telephone interviews with health professionals ( n = 18) in rural areas were conducted to examine this issue in a rural context. Inductive thematic analysis was used to gener…
Men’s grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal loss
An interprofessional education initiative between psychology and dentistry
Part of preparing future health professionals for multidisciplinary work environments involves interprofessional education (IPE). We explore students’ perceptions of confidence during IPE and how this impacts their ability to contribute to interprofessional learning. The written reflections of 115 undergraduate Psychology (n = 58) and Dentistry (n = 57) students aged 19–47 years (median = 22 years) who participated in two sessions of IPE utilisin…
Men’s talk about anxiety online
Although anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health disorder among Australian men, very little is known about men's experiences of living with, and seeking help for, anxiety. This article examines how male users of an online discussion forum for "anxiety" describe their anxiety in their opening posts. Of particular interest is how such descriptions attend to issues of authenticity and the types of support that men appear to be seeking…
Objective Structured Clinical Examinations with simulated patients in postgraduate psychology training
ObjectiveObjective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) involving simulated patients (SPs) are being incorporated into professional psychology training to teach and assess competencies. However, students' perceptions of SP use in their education are mixed.Moreover, there are limited reports of student perceptions of OSCEs in psychology beyond quantitative measures. This is the first report of extensive use of feedback in an OSCE in psychology…
I Feel Abused by My Own Mind
Men's experiences with anxiety are under-researched and poorly understood. Existing research gives little indication of how men talk about anxiety in situ, and little is known about how men describe their experiences of anxiety. Online discussion forums provide an opportunity to conduct naturalistic observations of how men describe their experiences with anxiety without the influence of a researcher. Thematic analysis, informed by principles of d…
Breaking the silence on sexual harassment and assault
My Skill Is Putting on a Mask and Convincing People Not to Look Closer”
Although anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health disorder in Australia, little is known about men’s anxiety help-seeking practices. This study investigates how male users of an online discussion forum accounted for engaging in troubles-telling in an online community. Posts on an online discussion forum written by men who identify as experiencing anxiety were analysed using discursive psychology, through the identification of four i…
Undergraduate psychology and dental students’ perceptions of interprofessional learning when using motivational interviewing to encourage health behaviour change
Objective To examine undergraduate psychology and dental students’ perceptions of their self-perceived ability, value and comfort in working with others in an interprofessional context.Method Students participated in a new interprofessional learning initiative incorporating motivational interviewing to encourage health behaviour change. Pre- and post-interprofessional learning survey data from 49 students and written reflections of 115 students w…
I know you shouldn't compare to other people, but I can’t do anything most people can’
Despite its prevalence, men's anxiety is arguably under‐researched and poorly understood. The present study explores the reasoning provided by male posters to an online discussion forum about the source of their anxiety. Posts were collected from an Australian anxiety online discussion forum. This study utilises discursive psychology, informed by principles of membership categorisation analysis, to describe how age, occupation and family‐related …
News media stories about cancer on Facebook
This content analysis explored associations between the framing of cancer-related health news stories on Facebook and their corresponding comments. It was found that regardless of story framing the majority of responses involved users engaging in debate and discussion rather than sharing personal experiences. Furthermore, stories framed episodically had a greater proportion of both supportive and unsupportive comments than stories framed thematic…
Grandfathers' Experiences of Grief and Support Following Pregnancy Loss or Neonatal Death of a Grandchild
Pregnancy loss and neonatal death are recognized as distressing experiences for parents and other family members. However, no research has specifically addressed the experiences of grandfathers. This study aimed to understand grandfathers' grief experiences, and to identify supports they provide, receive, and desire following the loss of a grandchild in pregnancy or the neonatal period. Semi-structured interviews with 10 Australian grandfathers w…
The loss of a grandchild during pregnancy
Inquiry focussing on grandparents’ experiences following a child’s pregnancy loss has concentrated on shorter-term grief and support outcomes. We aimed to understand longer-term wellbeing impacts exploring outcomes 10–20 years after the loss of a grandchild/ren during pregnancy. Our study addressed the questions: what are the longer-term outcomes for grandparents experiencing the loss of a grandchild in pregnancy?; what factors contribute to redu…
Overwhelming and unjust
Limited research has examined the grief experiences of fathers following neonatal death. Using a qualitative research design, ten fathers were interviewed, and thematic analysis resulted in three overarching themes: ' A complicated grief experience: Neonatal death is highly emotional' , ' Grief is multidimensional' and 'Sense of injustice' . Overall, results showed that grief was a multidimensional experience for fathers, with expressions of grie…
Consulting parents bereaved by childhood cancer
Twelve Australian parents bereaved by childhood cancer were interviewed about their experiences of, and preferences for, bereavement support, to inform recommendations to improve bereavement care. Reflexive thematic analysis resulted in five themes: Care, empathy, and connection assist with bereavement; Communication makes a difference; Early and ongoing support is desired; Gender matters when grieving the loss of a child; and The pull of peer su…
Postgraduate students’ perceptions of simulation-based learning in professional psychology training
Objective In a field with limited placement resources, further exacerbated by challenges due to COVID-19, simulation-based learning (SBL) represents a novel, evidence-based way to expose psychology students to learning opportunities. We examine students’ experiences and perceptions of SBL during postgraduate psychology training and their views on using extended SBL to aid clinical competence development.Methods 84 students in postgraduate trainin…
Australian men's experiences of leave provisions and workplace support following pregnancy loss or neonatal death
This research note reports survey responses of Australian men (N = 220) gathered as part of a larger study exploring men's grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death. We explore the types of workplace leave offered to men and how men perceived leave and support provided by their employers. Almost all men (91%) informed their workplace of their loss, and 74% were offered some form of leave. The most common types of leave offered were compas…
“No One Asked Me If I’m Alright”
There is limited research exploring men’s experiences of infertility, and fewer previous studies have examined what information and support men desire after being diagnosed specifically with male-factor infertility. We conducted a mixed-methods study utilizing a combined sequential, concurrent design (online survey/semi-structured interviews). Survey outcomes ( N =12) were analyzed using quantitative data analysis, while qualitative survey data (…
Physical and psychological wellbeing among Australian and New Zealand patients seeking fertility treatment during Covid-19
Background: Worldwide, COVID-19 has disrupted the provision of fertility treatment and patients’ reproductive plans, resulting in heightened stress for many people seeking to form or expand their families. Aims: Our study explored health behaviour changes and psychosocial implications of COVID-19 in patients accessing fertility treatment in Australia and New Zealand. Materials and Methods: Sixty participants (58 female; 2 male) completed an onlin…
LGBTQ+ peoples' experiences of workplace leave and support following pregnancy loss
Pregnancy loss is a distressing life event for many people. While the need for workplace leave following pregnancy loss is increasingly recognized, limited research exists to inform policy change and appropriate organizational supports for LGBTQ+ people experiencing pregnancy loss. Adopting an inductive approach, we interviewed 12 LGBTQ+ people aiming to explore their workplace leave and support experiences following pregnancy losses as gestation…
Psychology (29 works) · Medicine (20 works) · Sociology (16 works) · Social Psychology (14 works) · Psychiatry (12 works) · Qualitative research (12 works) · Clinical Psychology (10 works) · Developmental psychology (10 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Nursing (9 works)