Search results

AbstractThis study explored the lived experience of Australian women affected by intimate partner violence (IPV) and determined whether and how recovery was part of that experience. An online survey of 665 Australian women in long-term recovery from IPV gathered qualitative information about their experiences and their definitions of recovery. The guiding methodology for data analysis was qualitative content analysis, as it provided a close analysis of the manifest meanings of the women's responses and an interpretation of the latent themes within the data. Outcomes included a thematic analysis and the numbers of women referring to each theme. The women's definitions focused on their lived experiences of recovery rather than on the psychological and academic constructs favoured by researchers. The five themes identified in the women's definitions were safety and survival, gaining freedom, moving on, enjoying a better life, and issues with children and parenting. These themes did not represent sequential stages but generally occurred concurrently. Relapses, digressions, and highs and lows were also common aspects of recovery. Thus, these themes were more like threads woven together in a multi-axial continuum or recovery journey, rather than sequential phases. Although many women considered they had recovered from IPV, most women found recovery to be ongoing. Some women struggled to make any progress in recovery at all. Overall, recovery from IPV is multidimensional and individualistic in nature. It is an arduous journey that evolves over a long period of time and requires a great deal of support.

AbstractMany families experience a smooth transition from military to civilian life. However, some can face intense challenges and significant disruption to family functioning, including mental health and substance use issues, domestic and family violence, marriage dissatisfaction or family breakdown, and even suicide. While some research has examined these transition experiences of ex‐serving men and women, few studies have focused on their children. Understanding the challenges and opportunities the military–civilian transition poses for young people is crucial if we are to develop effective interventions to meet their needs in the future. This paper reports on findings from a qualitative study that retrospectively explored the experiences of young people from ex‐serving Australian Defence Force families when their parents left the military. Using thematic analyses, three key themes relating to military family dynamics were identified: (i) increased mental health stress, (ii) shifts in family relationships and dynamics, and (iii) domestic violence and maltreatment. These themes are discussed alongside the existing literature, revealing the challenges experienced by young people during the military–civilian transition, but also their innate strengths and resources in coping with this major life event. Implications for the social work profession and for developing effective transition supports for young people from ex‐serving families are considered.

Response Ability is an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (the Department). Since 2000, the project team has provided free multimedia resources and practical support for universities and teacher educators, addressing pre-service education for secondary teachers. The focus of the existing Response Ability resources is on the mental health and wellbeing of secondary school students. The use of these resources is designed to encourage pre-service teachers to engage with and promote social and emotional health in their teaching practices. In 2006, the Response Ability project was directed by the Department to advise how the scope of these resources could be broadened to support primary and early childhood teacher education. As part of this, a large-scale scoping study was undertaken to inform discussions about mental health promotion and early intervention strategies in primary and early childhood settings. A structured literature review was completed as part of this process, examining three key questions:

The paper's research objective pertains to explicating the concept of value co-creation of health and social outcomes in an eHealth digital ecosystem context that is critical in addressing sustainable development goal (SDG) 3 – good health and well-being. It conceptualises a theoretical framework using the dynamics inherent to the value cocreation process involving a user of eHealth services and considers the influences of all involved actors from an activity theory and dialogic engagement perspectives. A Mental Health, Alcohol and other drug use eHealth service (eCLiPSE) assists as a case to illustrate the proposed theoretical framework where three overarching propositions are advanced to provide managerial guidance and critical research enquiry. This framework clarifies the importance of improving dialogic engagement processes during both synchronous and asynchronous interactions over time as value creation pathways. Managerially, the paper points to the importance of optimising service design processes and role readiness of actors (users and healthcare professionals) to better enable consumers to engage in effective dialogue in eHealth interactions for harnessing value co-creation. Through the introduction of this framework, eHealth services can be better delivered and scaled to increase the capacity of care and achieve health outcomes pivotal to the success of SDG3.