Elizabeth Conroy
Biographic Data
| ID | 4994689 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Elizabeth Conroy |
| GIVEN NAMES | Elizabeth |
| FAMILY NAME | Conroy |
| SIGNATURE | CONROY E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7964-3441 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 19 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Cross-level environmental influences on social connection among older Australians
Persistent concerns about loneliness and social isolation in later life have prompted increasing attention to the social and environmental factors that enable or constrain connection. Yet, while previous research has identified community and societal determinants of social connection, little is known about how these factors interact dynamically with individual and interpersonal circumstances to shape older adults’ lived connection experiences. Th…
Surviving against the odds
This study provides some valuable insights into sources of resiliency for people experiencing homelessness in Ghana. The study's findings highlight the need for government to provide adequate housing, resources, and targeted policies and interventions for the homeless population in Accra and other similar settings
Brief transdiagnostic group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for acute inpatients with complex mental health conditions
The present study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a brief transdiagnostic group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Valued Living Program, VLP) versus an active social control condition (Social Discussion Group, SDG) for inpatients admitted for acute mental health conditions. Participants were group randomised to three sessions of the VLP ( n = 17) or the SDG ( n = 19) plus treatment-as-usual (TAU). The primary outcomes we…
Engaging and retaining clients in AOD treatment
Finding ways to engage and retain young people in treatment for substance use is important in disrupting trajectories of dependence and long-term addiction. Research speaks to the complex interplay of system, client, and clinician factors influencing treatment attendance. This study used a qualitative approach to explore the views of clients (young people [n = 19] and their carers [n = 5]) on the enablers to treatment engagement and retention. Fo…
When More Satisfying and Supportive Relationships Increase Loneliness
People experiencing homelessness can often have small and fragmented social networks, due to the loss and absence of critical connections, leaving them particularly susceptible to loneliness. During the course of homelessness, some people experience a changing profile of networks, transitioning away from family and some friends and forming new/substitute networks, such as service providers or pets. The resulting loneliness can have profound impac…
A qualitative study exploring young offenders’ perspectives on alcohol and other drug health promotion
Community services have an integral role in ensuring drug and alcohol education is accessible for different youth populations. Importantly, health promotion organisations should raise awareness about the environmental influences on drug use behaviours, and work deliberately to include consumer perspectives in the design and planning of prevention and harm reduction strategies
If I’m not real, I’m Not Having an Impact’
There is growing commitment to trauma-informed practice and increased recognition of risks associated with this work. However, the benefits of working with trauma-affected clients are under-studied. Drawing on interviews with sixty-three welfare, health and legal professionals in Australia, we consider the salutogenic dynamics of work with women with experiences of complex trauma. Participants articulated an ethics of care in which professionals …
Prenatal HIV Test Uptake and Its Associated Factors for Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV in East Africa
Identifying the socioeconomic and structural issues that act as enablers and/or barriers to HIV testing services is critical in combatting HIV/AIDS amongst mothers and children in Africa. In this study, we used a weighted sample of 46,645 women aged 15-49 who gave birth in the two years preceding the survey from the recent DHS dataset of ten East African countries. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the factors associated w…
Do we all experience loneliness the same way? Lessons from a pilot study measuring loneliness among people with lived experience of homelessness
Loneliness research has tended to focus on mainstream and older populations despite evidence that non-mainstream groups, like those experiencing homelessness, may experience loneliness differently. Limited existing research indicates that (a) people who have been homeless experience loneliness as multidimensional (as a pluralistic, non-unidimensional emotion, experienced specific to lacked relationships) and (b) mainstream loneliness scales may b…
What role does substance use play in the social world of Australian people who have experienced homelessness? A critical realist mixed‐methods exploration
Substance use is prevalent amongst Australians who have experienced homelessness, but the social impacts of using substances amongst this group are poorly understood. This study uses a relational and critical realist approach to understand the role of substance use on the social lives of people with lived experience of homelessness. A mixed‐methods design was used to explore this question and assess the experiences of people who have exited homel…
Australian homeless persons’ experiences of social connectedness, isolation and loneliness
Both loneliness and a lack of social integration are associated with serious physical and psychological health issues. One population highly susceptible to social isolation and loneliness are individuals who are homeless, who also experience high rates of mental disorder and relationship breakdown. Despite this, little research has explored how social networks, isolation and loneliness are experienced for those with a history of homelessness. In-…
What drives the high health care costs of the homeless
Existing research demonstrates that mean health care costs incurred by those experiencing homelessness are high. However, high mean health care costs mask the fact that a sizeable number of people experiencing homelessness incur low costs and that very high costs are driven by a minority of the homeless population. This paper examines health care costs estimated from two Australian surveys of those experiencing homelessness undertaken by the auth…
An examination of the quality of life among rural and outer metropolitan injecting drug users in NSW, Australia
This article aims to explore the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and health-related behaviours among rural and metropolitan injecting drug users (IDU) using a new scale developed specifically for use with IDU.One-hundred and sixty-four rural and 96 metropolitan IDU from seven different NSW Area Health Services were interviewed using a cross-sectional survey, including the Injection Drug Use Quality of Life (IDUQOL) scale. The mean doma…
Examining links between cocaine use and street‐based sex work in New South Wales, Australia
We examined potential links between cocaine use and street-based sex work in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, following reports of increased cocaine use among injection drug users (IDU). Police data on prostitution and possession/use of cocaine was analysed using time series analysis. Interviews with key informants and IDU were also conducted, and data on cocaine use from ongoing monitoring systems targeted at IDU were analysed. There was a clea…
Australian homeless persons’ experiences of social connectedness, isolation and loneliness
Both loneliness and a lack of social integration are associated with serious physical and psychological health issues. One population highly susceptible to social isolation and loneliness are individuals who are homeless, who also experience high rates of mental disorder and relationship breakdown. Despite this, little research has explored how social networks, isolation and loneliness are experienced for those with a history of homelessness. In-…
What drives the high health care costs of the homeless
Existing research demonstrates that mean health care costs incurred by those experiencing homelessness are high. However, high mean health care costs mask the fact that a sizeable number of people experiencing homelessness incur low costs and that very high costs are driven by a minority of the homeless population. This paper examines health care costs estimated from two Australian surveys of those experiencing homelessness undertaken by the auth…
Examining links between cocaine use and street‐based sex work in New South Wales, Australia
We examined potential links between cocaine use and street-based sex work in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, following reports of increased cocaine use among injection drug users (IDU). Police data on prostitution and possession/use of cocaine was analysed using time series analysis. Interviews with key informants and IDU were also conducted, and data on cocaine use from ongoing monitoring systems targeted at IDU were analysed. There was a clea…
If I’m not real, I’m Not Having an Impact’
There is growing commitment to trauma-informed practice and increased recognition of risks associated with this work. However, the benefits of working with trauma-affected clients are under-studied. Drawing on interviews with sixty-three welfare, health and legal professionals in Australia, we consider the salutogenic dynamics of work with women with experiences of complex trauma. Participants articulated an ethics of care in which professionals …
Do we all experience loneliness the same way? Lessons from a pilot study measuring loneliness among people with lived experience of homelessness
Loneliness research has tended to focus on mainstream and older populations despite evidence that non-mainstream groups, like those experiencing homelessness, may experience loneliness differently. Limited existing research indicates that (a) people who have been homeless experience loneliness as multidimensional (as a pluralistic, non-unidimensional emotion, experienced specific to lacked relationships) and (b) mainstream loneliness scales may b…
Examining links between cocaine use and street‐based sex work in New South Wales, Australia
We examined potential links between cocaine use and street-based sex work in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, following reports of increased cocaine use among injection drug users (IDU). Police data on prostitution and possession/use of cocaine was analysed using time series analysis. Interviews with key informants and IDU were also conducted, and data on cocaine use from ongoing monitoring systems targeted at IDU were analysed. There was a clea…
An examination of the quality of life among rural and outer metropolitan injecting drug users in NSW, Australia
This article aims to explore the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and health-related behaviours among rural and metropolitan injecting drug users (IDU) using a new scale developed specifically for use with IDU.One-hundred and sixty-four rural and 96 metropolitan IDU from seven different NSW Area Health Services were interviewed using a cross-sectional survey, including the Injection Drug Use Quality of Life (IDUQOL) scale. The mean doma…
Australian homeless persons’ experiences of social connectedness, isolation and loneliness
Both loneliness and a lack of social integration are associated with serious physical and psychological health issues. One population highly susceptible to social isolation and loneliness are individuals who are homeless, who also experience high rates of mental disorder and relationship breakdown. Despite this, little research has explored how social networks, isolation and loneliness are experienced for those with a history of homelessness. In-…
What drives the high health care costs of the homeless
Existing research demonstrates that mean health care costs incurred by those experiencing homelessness are high. However, high mean health care costs mask the fact that a sizeable number of people experiencing homelessness incur low costs and that very high costs are driven by a minority of the homeless population. This paper examines health care costs estimated from two Australian surveys of those experiencing homelessness undertaken by the auth…
What role does substance use play in the social world of Australian people who have experienced homelessness? A critical realist mixed‐methods exploration
Substance use is prevalent amongst Australians who have experienced homelessness, but the social impacts of using substances amongst this group are poorly understood. This study uses a relational and critical realist approach to understand the role of substance use on the social lives of people with lived experience of homelessness. A mixed‐methods design was used to explore this question and assess the experiences of people who have exited homel…
Prenatal HIV Test Uptake and Its Associated Factors for Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV in East Africa
Identifying the socioeconomic and structural issues that act as enablers and/or barriers to HIV testing services is critical in combatting HIV/AIDS amongst mothers and children in Africa. In this study, we used a weighted sample of 46,645 women aged 15-49 who gave birth in the two years preceding the survey from the recent DHS dataset of ten East African countries. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the factors associated w…
Do we all experience loneliness the same way? Lessons from a pilot study measuring loneliness among people with lived experience of homelessness
Loneliness research has tended to focus on mainstream and older populations despite evidence that non-mainstream groups, like those experiencing homelessness, may experience loneliness differently. Limited existing research indicates that (a) people who have been homeless experience loneliness as multidimensional (as a pluralistic, non-unidimensional emotion, experienced specific to lacked relationships) and (b) mainstream loneliness scales may b…
A qualitative study exploring young offenders’ perspectives on alcohol and other drug health promotion
Community services have an integral role in ensuring drug and alcohol education is accessible for different youth populations. Importantly, health promotion organisations should raise awareness about the environmental influences on drug use behaviours, and work deliberately to include consumer perspectives in the design and planning of prevention and harm reduction strategies
If I’m not real, I’m Not Having an Impact’
There is growing commitment to trauma-informed practice and increased recognition of risks associated with this work. However, the benefits of working with trauma-affected clients are under-studied. Drawing on interviews with sixty-three welfare, health and legal professionals in Australia, we consider the salutogenic dynamics of work with women with experiences of complex trauma. Participants articulated an ethics of care in which professionals …
When More Satisfying and Supportive Relationships Increase Loneliness
People experiencing homelessness can often have small and fragmented social networks, due to the loss and absence of critical connections, leaving them particularly susceptible to loneliness. During the course of homelessness, some people experience a changing profile of networks, transitioning away from family and some friends and forming new/substitute networks, such as service providers or pets. The resulting loneliness can have profound impac…
Brief transdiagnostic group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for acute inpatients with complex mental health conditions
The present study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a brief transdiagnostic group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Valued Living Program, VLP) versus an active social control condition (Social Discussion Group, SDG) for inpatients admitted for acute mental health conditions. Participants were group randomised to three sessions of the VLP ( n = 17) or the SDG ( n = 19) plus treatment-as-usual (TAU). The primary outcomes we…
Engaging and retaining clients in AOD treatment
Finding ways to engage and retain young people in treatment for substance use is important in disrupting trajectories of dependence and long-term addiction. Research speaks to the complex interplay of system, client, and clinician factors influencing treatment attendance. This study used a qualitative approach to explore the views of clients (young people [n = 19] and their carers [n = 5]) on the enablers to treatment engagement and retention. Fo…
Surviving against the odds
This study provides some valuable insights into sources of resiliency for people experiencing homelessness in Ghana. The study's findings highlight the need for government to provide adequate housing, resources, and targeted policies and interventions for the homeless population in Accra and other similar settings
Cross-level environmental influences on social connection among older Australians
Persistent concerns about loneliness and social isolation in later life have prompted increasing attention to the social and environmental factors that enable or constrain connection. Yet, while previous research has identified community and societal determinants of social connection, little is known about how these factors interact dynamically with individual and interpersonal circumstances to shape older adults’ lived connection experiences. Th…
Psychology (10 works) · Medicine (9 works) · Homelessness and Social Issues (7 works) · Psychiatry (7 works) · Population (6 works) · Psychological intervention (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Clinical Psychology (4 works) · Environmental health (4 works)