Debra A Dunstan
Biographic Data
| ID | 5823133 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Debra A Dunstan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Debra A |
| FAMILY NAME | Dunstan |
| SIGNATURE | DUNSTAN D A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of New England |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0298-7393 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 15 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Treating Psychological Trauma in the Midst of Covid-19
With the COVID-19 pandemic confronting health systems worldwide, medical practitioners are treating a myriad of physical symptoms that have, sadly, killed many thousands of people. There are signs that the public is also experiencing psychological trauma as they attempt to navigate their way through the COVID-19 restrictions impinging on many aspects of society. With unprecedented demand for health professionals' time, people who are unable to ac…
The role of digital mental health resources to treat trauma symptoms in Australia during Covid-19
Demand for telehealth services with psychologists and other health professionals has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result some members of the community are unable to access face-to-face assistance for trauma-related mental health issues. This has led to an increase in usage of alternative digital mental health options such as smartphone apps and other Internet-enabled assistance. The Australian Federal Government has promoted d…
Occupational risks during clinical placement
ObjectiveClinical placement is an essential aspect of student training in professional postgraduate psychology. However, students can be exposed to risk during clinical placement. Further, anecdotal evidence suggests that barriers may hinder formal reporting of adverse events occurring during placement. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence and nature of psychology students' exposure to risk during clinical placement. This …
Improving psychologists' adherence to evidence‐based practice guidelines for treating musculoskeletal injuries
ObjectivesThe New South Wales personal injury compensation schemes have produced evidence‐based practice (EBP) treatment guidelines for the management of functional disability following musculoskeletal injury. Psychologists' adherence with these guidelines is suboptimal, therefore the aim of this study was to elicit recommendations from field experts to overcome barriers to adherence and determine feasibility of their application by psychologists…
Open Adoptions of Children From Foster Care in New South Wales Australia
In Australia, adoptions from care are infrequent and mostly conducted in New South Wales (NSW) despite being legislated in other states. This qualitative study explored the experiences of the adoption process and post-adoption contact of eight foster parents adopting children in their care through the public welfare agency in NSW. The interviews were analyzed following a structured approach, by means of thematic networks. The study revealed that …
Capturing the Attitudes of Adolescent Males’ Towards Computerised Mental Health Help‐Seeking
ObjectiveAdolescent males are often reluctant to seek help for mental health problems. Computerised psychological treatment may be a more appealing method of psychological intervention for this population because it minimises many of the barriers to traditional treatment. However, it is not clear if current computerised mental health treatment programs both attract and engage adolescent males with anxiety disorders. A qualitative methodology was …
Psychologists’ Application of Clinical Guidelines and Recommended Protocols and Procedures within State Insurance Regulatory Authority Insurance Frameworks
ObjectiveIn 2010, the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), which governs the regulatory functions of workers’ compensation insurance (WCI) and compulsory third‐party insurance (CTP) within NSW, implemented evidence‐based clinical guidelines to improve psychologists’ practice. The aims of this study were to determine (a) whether this initiative has reduced claims costs and improved injured patient outcomes and (b) whether it has resulted i…
An exploratory study on open adoptions from foster care in NSW, Australia
This is an exploratory study focused on open adoptions from foster care conducted through the public child protection agency in New South Wales, Australia. The results from an online survey completed by 23 respondents indicated that most of the adoptees were reportedly in the normative range of adjustment, had positive relationships with their adoptive parents and had ongoing contact with their birth families. Most of the adoptive parents had rec…
Descriptive Analysis of Foster Care Adoptions in New South Wales, Australia
This paper describes the population of children in care in New South Wales, Australia, who were adopted by their foster families (N = 372) from 2003 to 2014. Data pertaining to 370 of these adoptees were available and obtained from administrative records accompanying adoption applications. Most of these children had been placed with their subsequent adoptive family during infancy. However, adoption orders occurred much later in their lives. Accor…
The Performance of Australian Children and Adolescents on Rey's Tangled Lines Test
ObjectiveThe study aimed to generate preliminary Australian normative data for the performance of individuals aged 8–15 years on the Rey Tangled Lines Test (Rey TLT), and to chronicle age‐related trends in the acquisition of processing speed and accuracy. The Rey TLT is a neuropsychometric test that queries processing speed and was intended to assist in the differentiation of problems in fine eye tracking from wider cognitive disorders. This inst…
Australian Trans Men
The aim of the study reported in this article was to gain an understanding of the experiences, developmental trajectories, and mental health status of Australian trans men. Participants were 279 trans men. The majority preferred to identify as “male”; from an early age, they had experienced their gender identity as different from that normatively expected of their natally assigned sex and had undertaken practices so as to facilitate their present…
Mental Health Literacy of Australian Rural Adolescents
The mental health literacy (MHL) of rural adolescents has rarely been investigated. This study examined the MHL of 122 rural-based adolescents (49 males, 73 females) aged 12-18 years (M = 16, SD = 1) using written vignettes and short films to examine knowledge about depression. For the written vignettes, 68% of the rural adolescents were able to correctly identify someone with depression, which is similar to the findings for metropolitan adolesce…
Australian Trans Men
The aim of the study reported in this article was to gain an understanding of the experiences, developmental trajectories, and mental health status of Australian trans men. Participants were 279 trans men. The majority preferred to identify as “male”; from an early age, they had experienced their gender identity as different from that normatively expected of their natally assigned sex and had undertaken practices so as to facilitate their present…
Open Adoptions of Children From Foster Care in New South Wales Australia
In Australia, adoptions from care are infrequent and mostly conducted in New South Wales (NSW) despite being legislated in other states. This qualitative study explored the experiences of the adoption process and post-adoption contact of eight foster parents adopting children in their care through the public welfare agency in NSW. The interviews were analyzed following a structured approach, by means of thematic networks. The study revealed that …
An exploratory study on open adoptions from foster care in NSW, Australia
This is an exploratory study focused on open adoptions from foster care conducted through the public child protection agency in New South Wales, Australia. The results from an online survey completed by 23 respondents indicated that most of the adoptees were reportedly in the normative range of adjustment, had positive relationships with their adoptive parents and had ongoing contact with their birth families. Most of the adoptive parents had rec…
Psychologists’ Application of Clinical Guidelines and Recommended Protocols and Procedures within State Insurance Regulatory Authority Insurance Frameworks
ObjectiveIn 2010, the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), which governs the regulatory functions of workers’ compensation insurance (WCI) and compulsory third‐party insurance (CTP) within NSW, implemented evidence‐based clinical guidelines to improve psychologists’ practice. The aims of this study were to determine (a) whether this initiative has reduced claims costs and improved injured patient outcomes and (b) whether it has resulted i…
Descriptive Analysis of Foster Care Adoptions in New South Wales, Australia
This paper describes the population of children in care in New South Wales, Australia, who were adopted by their foster families (N = 372) from 2003 to 2014. Data pertaining to 370 of these adoptees were available and obtained from administrative records accompanying adoption applications. Most of these children had been placed with their subsequent adoptive family during infancy. However, adoption orders occurred much later in their lives. Accor…
Mental Health Literacy of Australian Rural Adolescents
The mental health literacy (MHL) of rural adolescents has rarely been investigated. This study examined the MHL of 122 rural-based adolescents (49 males, 73 females) aged 12-18 years (M = 16, SD = 1) using written vignettes and short films to examine knowledge about depression. For the written vignettes, 68% of the rural adolescents were able to correctly identify someone with depression, which is similar to the findings for metropolitan adolesce…
Australian Trans Men
The aim of the study reported in this article was to gain an understanding of the experiences, developmental trajectories, and mental health status of Australian trans men. Participants were 279 trans men. The majority preferred to identify as “male”; from an early age, they had experienced their gender identity as different from that normatively expected of their natally assigned sex and had undertaken practices so as to facilitate their present…
The Performance of Australian Children and Adolescents on Rey's Tangled Lines Test
ObjectiveThe study aimed to generate preliminary Australian normative data for the performance of individuals aged 8–15 years on the Rey Tangled Lines Test (Rey TLT), and to chronicle age‐related trends in the acquisition of processing speed and accuracy. The Rey TLT is a neuropsychometric test that queries processing speed and was intended to assist in the differentiation of problems in fine eye tracking from wider cognitive disorders. This inst…
Descriptive Analysis of Foster Care Adoptions in New South Wales, Australia
This paper describes the population of children in care in New South Wales, Australia, who were adopted by their foster families (N = 372) from 2003 to 2014. Data pertaining to 370 of these adoptees were available and obtained from administrative records accompanying adoption applications. Most of these children had been placed with their subsequent adoptive family during infancy. However, adoption orders occurred much later in their lives. Accor…
Open Adoptions of Children From Foster Care in New South Wales Australia
In Australia, adoptions from care are infrequent and mostly conducted in New South Wales (NSW) despite being legislated in other states. This qualitative study explored the experiences of the adoption process and post-adoption contact of eight foster parents adopting children in their care through the public welfare agency in NSW. The interviews were analyzed following a structured approach, by means of thematic networks. The study revealed that …
Capturing the Attitudes of Adolescent Males’ Towards Computerised Mental Health Help‐Seeking
ObjectiveAdolescent males are often reluctant to seek help for mental health problems. Computerised psychological treatment may be a more appealing method of psychological intervention for this population because it minimises many of the barriers to traditional treatment. However, it is not clear if current computerised mental health treatment programs both attract and engage adolescent males with anxiety disorders. A qualitative methodology was …
Psychologists’ Application of Clinical Guidelines and Recommended Protocols and Procedures within State Insurance Regulatory Authority Insurance Frameworks
ObjectiveIn 2010, the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), which governs the regulatory functions of workers’ compensation insurance (WCI) and compulsory third‐party insurance (CTP) within NSW, implemented evidence‐based clinical guidelines to improve psychologists’ practice. The aims of this study were to determine (a) whether this initiative has reduced claims costs and improved injured patient outcomes and (b) whether it has resulted i…
An exploratory study on open adoptions from foster care in NSW, Australia
This is an exploratory study focused on open adoptions from foster care conducted through the public child protection agency in New South Wales, Australia. The results from an online survey completed by 23 respondents indicated that most of the adoptees were reportedly in the normative range of adjustment, had positive relationships with their adoptive parents and had ongoing contact with their birth families. Most of the adoptive parents had rec…
Occupational risks during clinical placement
ObjectiveClinical placement is an essential aspect of student training in professional postgraduate psychology. However, students can be exposed to risk during clinical placement. Further, anecdotal evidence suggests that barriers may hinder formal reporting of adverse events occurring during placement. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence and nature of psychology students' exposure to risk during clinical placement. This …
Improving psychologists' adherence to evidence‐based practice guidelines for treating musculoskeletal injuries
ObjectivesThe New South Wales personal injury compensation schemes have produced evidence‐based practice (EBP) treatment guidelines for the management of functional disability following musculoskeletal injury. Psychologists' adherence with these guidelines is suboptimal, therefore the aim of this study was to elicit recommendations from field experts to overcome barriers to adherence and determine feasibility of their application by psychologists…
Treating Psychological Trauma in the Midst of Covid-19
With the COVID-19 pandemic confronting health systems worldwide, medical practitioners are treating a myriad of physical symptoms that have, sadly, killed many thousands of people. There are signs that the public is also experiencing psychological trauma as they attempt to navigate their way through the COVID-19 restrictions impinging on many aspects of society. With unprecedented demand for health professionals' time, people who are unable to ac…
The role of digital mental health resources to treat trauma symptoms in Australia during Covid-19
Demand for telehealth services with psychologists and other health professionals has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result some members of the community are unable to access face-to-face assistance for trauma-related mental health issues. This has led to an increase in usage of alternative digital mental health options such as smartphone apps and other Internet-enabled assistance. The Australian Federal Government has promoted d…
Medicine (12 works) · Psychology (12 works) · Nursing (7 works) · Psychiatry (7 works) · Political science (6 works) · Mental health (5 works) · Clinical Psychology (4 works) · Clinical Psychology (4 works) · Population (4 works) · Social Psychology (4 works)