Sharon Lawn
Biographic Data
| ID | 148907 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sharon Lawn |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sharon |
| FAMILY NAME | Lawn |
| SIGNATURE | LAWN S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Flinders University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5464-8887 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 53 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 35 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 53 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
‘Traumatic to Say the Least; It Still Affects Me’: Consumer Perspectives on Community Treatment Orders in Australia
Co‐Designing a Social Media and Anxiety Survey: Reflections on the Importance of Centring Mental Health Lived Experience Expertise
INTRODUCTION: This study explores a collaborative co-design process undertaken with people with lived experience expertise (PLEE), to develop a survey investigating experiences of social media and anxiety. The research is the first step in a larger project across five countries (Australia, the United Kingdom, India, Canada and Singapore) that will seek to validate whether passive smartphone analytics and codesigned ethical protocols can underpin …
Co‐Production With Mental Health Family Carers: The Value, Outcomes and Benefits for Family Carers and Academic Researchers
INTRODUCTION: Family engagement in mental health service reform, design, treatment, and research is highlighted as important within government and governance guidelines; however, inconsistencies of inclusion continue to be experienced and reported. Within mental health and community research there are calls for the adoption of participatory and co-production methodologies. OBJECTIVE: To add to the informed debate about patient and public involvem…
A Descriptive Thematic Review of Barriers, Facilitators, and Recommendations for Cancer Screening Uptake Among Community Dwelling Adults with Mental Ill-Health
The much higher rate of premature mortality from cancer among people with mental ill-health is a major contributor to 20-year reduction in life expectancy for this population, relative to the broader population. Under-screening and delays in screening for cancers are recognized as significant issues contributing to this health inequality. This thematic review explored the common barriers to delayed cancer screening, facilitators to overcome those…
An Exploratory Study of Research Needed for the Improvement of Care and Services for Persons with a Lived Experience of Mental Health Challenges
Individuals with a lived experience are increasingly being included in the design of mental health services research. Obtaining perspectives of persons with a lived experience of mental health challenges on research that is important to them is an opportunity to achieve equity in allocating resources so that policy-makers and health research funders are made aware of the issues that matter to people who are affected by research. The purpose of th…
Australian Women Veterans’ Experiences of Gendered Disempowerment and Abuse Within Military Service and Transition
Disempowering experiences of military service and transition for women veterans exist within an established, dominant, masculinised culture, in which their presence is highly visible, challenged, and often subject to institutional prejudice. Sexual abuse of women in the military, in particular, is a persistent finding in contemporary international research and national inquiries into military culture in countries such as Australia, the United Kin…
Mental Health Family Carer Coresearchers: Coproduction Principles to Elevate Lived-Expertise in Research
Purpose: Few studies demonstrate approaches to working with mental health family carers in research, service change or system reform. This article formulates participatory principles for co-research with mental health family carers. Method: Twenty-three members of a Project Steering Group, with different levels of experience in research and advocacy, were invited to participate in one of two focused-conversations, to reflect upon a 9-month nation…
Knowledge Families Hold: Co‐Production and Co‐Research With Mental Health Family Carers in Understanding Experiences During the Covid‐19 Pandemic
BACKGROUND: Through an in-depth exploration of mental health family carers' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, this co-produced study identified recommendations for advocacy, practice and policy implications to uphold family carer wellbeing. Government-enforced restrictions, changed service availability and difficulties accessing hospitals, led to additional anxiety, depression and elevated distress, especially for people expe…
Shortcomings of services for persons with severe and persistent mental health challenges: A qualitative study of service users and family carers
Additional research is needed with larger and more diverse samples to further explore these findings
No Women’s Land: Australian Women Veterans’ Experiences of the Culture of Military Service and Transition
Women's experiences of military service and transition occur within a highly dominant masculinized culture. The vast majority of research on military veterans reflects men's experiences and needs. Women veterans' experiences, and therefore their transition support needs, are largely invisible. This study sought to understand the role and impact of gender in the context of the dominant masculinized culture on women veterans' experiences of militar…
Families supporting people with mental health challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic: Learnings from a co-designed and co-delivered study
The significant demand for and reduction in mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in family carers providing higher levels and increased hours of support of increased complexity. Guided conversations within seven co-designed online focus groups with 73 family carers, representing diverse communities and ages, explored the experiences of and desired changes for mental health service provision. Six themes emerged: service use…
Raped, beaten and bruised: Military Institutional Abuse, Identity Wounds and Veteran Suicide
The Australian government has recently established a Royal Commission on Defence and Veteran Suicide (DVSRC). Veteran suicide rates for those who have left the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are higher than the national average and there has been little success in reducing this over an extended period of time. Veteran suicide is poorly understood, and the collected data is imprecise and incomplete. Deployment trauma and Post-traumatic stress diso…
Talking about borderline personality disorder, shaping care: The multiple doings of narratives
This article focuses on the narratives that circulate about borderline personality disorder (BPD) in health-care settings in Australia and the effects such narratives can have on how people practice and seek out care. People with a BPD diagnosis frequently access health-care services, often encountering stigma and discrimination. Drawing on narrative theory, we critically unpack the circulation and capacities of BPD narratives and the ways they c…
Mental health in young adult emergency services personnel: A rapid review of the evidence
This rapid review focussed on the mental health and wellbeing of young adult (16–25 years) emergency service volunteers and personnel. The study aimed to synthesise evidence on the experience of mental health conditions and wellbeing in this cohort. The review methods followed the Cochrane Rapid Review Guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020185937). Three databases were searched (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO) with three concept terms; 1…
Understanding Men’s Engagement and Disengagement When Seeking Support for Mental Health
Men are less likely to utilize health care services compared with women. When it comes to mental health, men have been reported to hold more reluctant attitudes toward engaging with mental health services. Current studies have predominantly been quantitative and focused on understanding effective strategies to promote men’s engagement and why men may avoid help-seeking or may not seek help early; few studies exist of men’s disengagement from serv…
How to achieve delivery of a cardiovascular health intervention in community mental health settings: A process evaluation of Flinders Program using RE-AIM framework
Background, research problem & context: Globally, it is well recorded that adults with severe mental illness (SMI) die 10-20 years earlier than the general population, with cardiovascular disease being recorded as the key contributor to this health inequity. To address this health gap, the Flinders Chronic Condition Self-Management Program (will be referred to as Flinders Programme from here onward) was delivered within an NHMRC-funded randomised…
Experiences of integrated care: Consumer perspectives
Introduction: While many service users have co-existing physical and mental health concerns, health professionals can tend to approach clients only through their single professional focus. This does not match service users lived experience of the dynamic relationship between physical, social and emotional health. ‘Diagnostic overshadowing’ refers to when clinicians only attend the presenting problem and fail to consider other important areas of h…
The Effectiveness and Cost of an Intervention to Increase the Provision of Preventive Care in Community Mental Health Services: Protocol for a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial
Preventive care to address chronic disease risk behaviours is infrequently provided by community mental health services. In this cluster-randomised controlled trial, 12 community mental health services in 3 Local Health Districts in New South Wales, Australia, will be randomised to either an intervention group (implementing a new model of providing preventive care) or a control group (usual care). The model of care comprises three components: (1)…
Families' experiences of supporting Australian veterans and emergency service first responders ( ESFRs ) to seek help for mental health problems
The objective of this phenomenological study was to describe families' experiences of supporting veterans and emergency service first responders (ESFRs) (known also as public safety personnel) to seek help for a mental health problem. In-depth semi-structured open-ended interviews were undertaken with 25 family members of Australian veterans and ESFRs. Fourteen participants were family members of police officers. Data were analysed thematically. …
Community treatment orders and care planning: How is engagement and decision‐making enacted
BACKGROUND: In many jurisdictions worldwide, individuals with a mental illness may be forced to receive care and treatment in the community. In Australia, legislation states that such care should be driven by a care plan that is recovery-focussed. Key components in the care planning process include engagement and decision-making about a person's support needs and care options, with trust being an essential component of care planning relationships…
Australian Mental Health Consumers’ Experiences of Service Engagement and Disengagement: A Descriptive Study
Mental health issues are a severe global concern with significant personal, social, and economic consequences and costs. This paper reports results of an online survey disseminated across the Australian community investigating why people with mental health issues choose particular mental health services over others, what causes them to disengage from services, and what factors and qualities of services are important to consumers to support their …
Self-reported suboptimal sleep and receipt of sleep assessment and treatment among persons with and without a mental health condition in Australia: A cross sectional study
The prevalence of suboptimal sleep among persons with a mental health condition in Australia is significantly higher than those without such a condition, and rates of assessment and treatment are low for both groups, but higher for people with a mental health condition. Population health interventions, including those delivered as part of routine health care, addressing suboptimal sleep are needed
Gambling-related harm as reported by concerned significant others: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of empirical studies
I felt like less than a shadow in the room”: Systematic review of the experiences and needs of new fathers
Why do you stay?”: The lived‐experience of partners of Australian veterans and first responders with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
This study examined the multidimensional nature of experiences of being an intimate partner of an Australian veteran or emergency service first responder (ESFR) with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, inductive thematic analysis was undertaken on data collected in 2017-2018 through individual interviews with a purposive sample of 22 partners of veterans, paramedics, fire and police officers living…
Smoking and quitting: A Qualitative Study With Community-Living Psychiatric Clients
The Importance of Relationship in Understanding the Experiences of Spouse Mental Health Carers
The burden of caring for family members with mental illness has been researched extensively; however, knowledge of spouse carers' experiences is limited. In this article, we explore this from a carers' perspective, with 28 spouse carers, using qualitative open-ended semistructured interviews and a grounded theory approach informed by the social interactionism tradition to collect and analyze the data. We present six interrelated themes around the…
Raped, beaten and bruised: Military Institutional Abuse, Identity Wounds and Veteran Suicide
The Australian government has recently established a Royal Commission on Defence and Veteran Suicide (DVSRC). Veteran suicide rates for those who have left the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are higher than the national average and there has been little success in reducing this over an extended period of time. Veteran suicide is poorly understood, and the collected data is imprecise and incomplete. Deployment trauma and Post-traumatic stress diso…
Additive and subtractive resilience strategies as enablers of biographical reinvention: A qualitative study of ex-smokers and never-smokers
Why do you stay?”: The lived‐experience of partners of Australian veterans and first responders with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
This study examined the multidimensional nature of experiences of being an intimate partner of an Australian veteran or emergency service first responder (ESFR) with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, inductive thematic analysis was undertaken on data collected in 2017-2018 through individual interviews with a purposive sample of 22 partners of veterans, paramedics, fire and police officers living…
Fragmentation in Australian Commonwealth and South Australian State policy on mental health and older people: A governmentality analysis
Mental health care for older people is a significant and growing issue in Australia and internationally. This article describes how older people's mental health is governed through policy discourse by examining Australian Commonwealth and South Australian State government policy documents, and commentaries from professional groups, advocacy groups and non-governmental organisations. Documents published between 2009 and 2014 were analysed using a …
When I'm not angry I am anxious: The lived experiences of individuals in a relationship with a non-help-seeking problem gambler-A hermeneutic phenomenological study
Although the negative effects of problem gambling (PG) are well-documented in respect of gamblers themselves, less research has focused on the experiences of their partners, particularly in situations where the gambler is not help-seeking. Data were drawn from 15 in-depth interviews of partners living with a non-help-seeking problem gambler. Through a hermeneutical-phenomenological analysis, nine central themes emerged: social activity, realizati…
Talking about borderline personality disorder, shaping care: The multiple doings of narratives
This article focuses on the narratives that circulate about borderline personality disorder (BPD) in health-care settings in Australia and the effects such narratives can have on how people practice and seek out care. People with a BPD diagnosis frequently access health-care services, often encountering stigma and discrimination. Drawing on narrative theory, we critically unpack the circulation and capacities of BPD narratives and the ways they c…
Families' experiences of supporting Australian veterans and emergency service first responders ( ESFRs ) to seek help for mental health problems
The objective of this phenomenological study was to describe families' experiences of supporting veterans and emergency service first responders (ESFRs) (known also as public safety personnel) to seek help for a mental health problem. In-depth semi-structured open-ended interviews were undertaken with 25 family members of Australian veterans and ESFRs. Fourteen participants were family members of police officers. Data were analysed thematically. …
I felt like less than a shadow in the room”: Systematic review of the experiences and needs of new fathers
The Lived Experience of Caring for an Australian Military Veteran With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
There is limited literature on the experience of caring for an intimate partner with a mental health condition. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health condition for military veterans; yet, little is known about how partners experience and cope with these caring relationships. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, we collected data through individual interviews with 20 female partners of male veterans diagnosed w…
Integrating service user participation in mental health care: What will it take
Participation in mental health care poses many challenges for mental health service users and service providers. Consideration of these issues for improving the integration of service user participation in mental health care can help to inform integrated care within health care systems, broadly. This paper argues for practicing greater empathy and teaching it, stigma reduction, changing what we measure, valuing the intrinsic aspects of care more,…
The importance of resilience and stress to maintaining smoking abstinence and cessation: A qualitative study in Australia with people diagnosed with depression
This study explored stress in relation to smoking and how non-smokers (never-smoked and ex-smokers) are 'resilient' to smoking in a population where there is a high prevalence of smoking (people diagnosed with depression). In-depth oral history interviews were conducted with 34 adult participants from metropolitan Adelaide, and who were medically diagnosed with depression. Participants were recruited according to their smoking status (currently s…
Smoking and quitting: A Qualitative Study With Community-Living Psychiatric Clients
Systemic Barriers to Quitting Smoking among Institutionalised Public Mental Health Service Populations: A Comparison of Two Australian Sites
Background: This article reports the findings from a comparative study investigating smoking behaviours among institutionalised psychiatric populations from a sociological perspective. Method: The study involved participant observation of two separate Australian sites between 1999 and 2002, the second site serving to generalise the findings from the first site. Discussion and conclusions: Systemic barriers to quitting were identified, emanating f…
The Mental Health Expert Patient: Findings from a Pilot Study of a Generic Chronic Condition Self-Management Programme for People with Mental Illness
Background: Less than optimal outcomes and escalating costs for chronic conditions including mental illness have prompted calls for innovative approaches to chronic illness management. Aims: This study aimed to test the feasibility and utility of combining a generic, clinician administered and peer-led self-management group approach for people with serious mental illness. Method: General practitioners and mental health case managers used a patien…
Chronic physical illness: Self-management and behavioural interventions
The importance of resilience and stress to maintaining smoking abstinence and cessation: A qualitative study in Australia with people diagnosed with depression
This study explored stress in relation to smoking and how non-smokers (never-smoked and ex-smokers) are 'resilient' to smoking in a population where there is a high prevalence of smoking (people diagnosed with depression). In-depth oral history interviews were conducted with 34 adult participants from metropolitan Adelaide, and who were medically diagnosed with depression. Participants were recruited according to their smoking status (currently s…
Additive and subtractive resilience strategies as enablers of biographical reinvention: A qualitative study of ex-smokers and never-smokers
Empowerment, patient centred care and self‐management
Background Patient or person centred care is widely accepted as the philosophy and practice that underpins quality care. An examination of the Australian National Chronic Disease Strategy and literature in the field highlights assumptions about the self‐manager as patient and a focus on clinical settings. Objective and Conclusion This paper considers patient or person centred care in the light of empowerment as it is understood in the health prom…
Older persons mental health in rural Australia: Testing a model for integration
There is significant unmet need for mental health care for older persons in Australia, with those living in rural communities particularly disadvantaged in terms of availability and access to services. Linkages and collaboration between health and social services has been advocated in national policies, though integrated primary mental health care for older people in the Australian context remains problematic
The Importance of Relationship in Understanding the Experiences of Spouse Mental Health Carers
The burden of caring for family members with mental illness has been researched extensively; however, knowledge of spouse carers' experiences is limited. In this article, we explore this from a carers' perspective, with 28 spouse carers, using qualitative open-ended semistructured interviews and a grounded theory approach informed by the social interactionism tradition to collect and analyze the data. We present six interrelated themes around the…
Is resilience relevant to smoking abstinence for Indigenous Australians?
The prevalence rate of tobacco smoking remains high for Australian Indigenous people despite declining rates in other Australian populations. Given many Indigenous Australians continue to experience a range of social and economic structural problems, stress could be a significant contributing factor to preventing smoking abstinence. The reasons why some Indigenous people have remained resilient to stressful adverse conditions, and not rely on smo…
Is self‐management feasible and acceptable for addressing nutrition and physical activity needs of cancer survivors
BACKGROUND: Self-management is recommended for patients with chronic conditions, but its use with cancer survivors is underexplored. Optimal strategies for achieving lifestyle changes in cancer survivors are not known. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of self-management-based nutrition and physical activity interventions for cancer survivors. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Adult survivors (n …
Mental health professionals’ perspectives on the implementation of smoke-free policies in psychiatric units across England
BACKGROUND: The original audit on which this 2013 secondary analysis is based, was conducted in 2010. It explored implementation of smoke-free policies from the perspective of unit managers in 147 psychiatric units across England comprising a randomly selected sample of nine different unit types. MATERIAL: Two main themes are presented: positive perspectives of smoke-free policy implementation, and barriers and problems with smoke-free policy imp…
Type of unit and population served matters when implementing a smoke-free policy in mental health settings: Perceptions of unit managers across England
BACKGROUND: Globally, smoking remains a significant issue for mental health populations. Many mental health trusts in England are facing challenges of implementing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance according to which all mental health settings, no matter the type, should be entirely smoke-free and provide comprehensive smoking cessation support. AIM: The aim of this paper was to determine if unit type and unit manager…
Integrating service user participation in mental health care: What will it take
Participation in mental health care poses many challenges for mental health service users and service providers. Consideration of these issues for improving the integration of service user participation in mental health care can help to inform integrated care within health care systems, broadly. This paper argues for practicing greater empathy and teaching it, stigma reduction, changing what we measure, valuing the intrinsic aspects of care more,…
Addressing Smoking in Supported Residential Facilities for People with Severe Mental Illness: Has Any Progress Been Achieved
A more systematic approach that addresses SRF regulations, smoke-free policies, staff attitudes and training, and consistent smoking cessation support to residents is needed
Measuring chronic condition self-management in an Australian community: Factor structure of the revised Partners in Health (PIH) scale
The Lived Experience of Caring for an Australian Military Veteran With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
There is limited literature on the experience of caring for an intimate partner with a mental health condition. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health condition for military veterans; yet, little is known about how partners experience and cope with these caring relationships. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, we collected data through individual interviews with 20 female partners of male veterans diagnosed w…
Fragmentation in Australian Commonwealth and South Australian State policy on mental health and older people: A governmentality analysis
Mental health care for older people is a significant and growing issue in Australia and internationally. This article describes how older people's mental health is governed through policy discourse by examining Australian Commonwealth and South Australian State government policy documents, and commentaries from professional groups, advocacy groups and non-governmental organisations. Documents published between 2009 and 2014 were analysed using a …
Shared care involving cancer specialists and primary care providers – What do cancer survivors want
BACKGROUND: Cancer survivors are living longer, prompting greater focus on managing cancer as a chronic condition. Shared care between primary care providers (PCPs) and cancer specialists, involving explicit partnership in how care is communicated, could ensure effective transitions between services. However, little is known about cancer patients' and survivors' preferences regarding shared care. OBJECTIVE: To explore Australian cancer survivors'…
Adapting, Pilot Testing and Evaluating the Kick.it App to Support Smoking Cessation for Smokers with Severe Mental Illness: A Study Protocol
(1) Background: While the prevalence of tobacco smoking in the general population has declined, it remains exceptionally high for smokers with severe mental illness (SMI), despite significant public health measures. This project aims to adapt, pilot test and evaluate a novel e-health smoking cessation intervention to assist relapse prevention and encourage sustained smoking cessation for young adults (aged 18−29 years) with SMI. (2) Methods: Usin…
Reducing Smoking Among People With Schizophrenia: Perspectives on Priorities for Advancing Research
Although tobacco smoking is very common among people with schizophrenia and has devastating effects on health, strategies to ameliorate the risk are lacking. Some studies have reported promising results yet quit rates are much lower than in the general population. There is a need to advance research into smoking cessation efforts among people with schizophrenia. We posed the following question to five leading international experts in the field: "…
Exploring General Practitioners’ Views and Experiences of Providing Care to People with Borderline Personality Disorder in Primary Care: A Qualitative Study in Australia
The prevalence of people seeking care for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in primary care is four to five times higher than in the general population. Therefore, general practitioners (GPs) are important sources of assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and care for these patients, as well as important providers of early intervention and long-term management for mental health and associated comorbidities. A thematic analysis of two focus groups …
The “Zone”: A Qualitative Exploratory Study of an Altered State of Awareness in Electronic Gaming Machine Problem Gambling
I’ll Just Pay the Rent Next Month’: An Exploratory Study Examining Facilitatory Cognitions Among EGM Problem Gamblers
Trust and Community Treatment Orders
There are conflicting views about the benefits of community treatment orders (CTOs) for people with mental illness. While there is a significant literature on the coercive nature of CTOs, there is less on the impact that CTOs have upon trust. A recovery-oriented approach requires a trusting therapeutic relationship and the coercion inherent in the CTO process may make it difficult for trust to be built, nurtured, and sustained between workers and…
Medicine (42 works) · Psychology (41 works) · Psychiatry (37 works) · Mental health (35 works) · Nursing (20 works) · Qualitative research (18 works) · Political science (16 works) · Social Psychology (15 works) · Sociology (15 works) · Mental Health and Patient Involvement (14 works)