Australian Journal of Psychology最新文献

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected adolescents' psychosocial development, increasing vulnerability to distress and risk behaviors. This study examined whether aggression mediates the association between COVID-19-related stress and deviant behavior.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 638 adolescents and young adults (M = 18.8, SD = 3.51) from central Italy. Participants completed standardized self-report measures on COVID-related stress, aggression, and deviance. Analyses included Spearman correlations, regression models, and mediation testing.

Results: Social isolation was positively associated with aggression, whereas fear of COVID was negatively associated with aggression. Only physical aggression was significantly linked to deviant behavior. Mediation analysis showed that physical aggression partially mediated the relationship between COVID-19 stress and deviance: social isolation predicted higher physical aggression (β = 0.38, p < .001), which was associated with deviance (β = 0.07, p < .001); the indirect effect was significant (β = 0.027, p = .002). Fear of contagion showed a small but significant negative indirect effect (β = -0.006, p = .022).

Conclusion: Social isolation increased risk, whereas fear of contagion appeared to have a potential protective function.

Objectives: To examine the link between workplace sexual harassment and suicidal ideation among female nurses in private hospitals, testing social stigma as a mediator and job insecurity as a moderator, and distinguishing sources of harassment (colleagues vs patients).

Methods: Cross-sectional explanatory survey of 312 female nurses employed ≥1 year in private hospitals. Standardized measures assessed sexual harassment, perceived social stigma, job insecurity, and suicidal ideation. Structural equation modeling (SmartPLS) evaluated direct, mediated, and moderated effects, with robustness checks for common-method bias and demographic controls.

Results: Harassment showed a significant positive association with suicidal ideation. Social stigma partially mediated this pathway, indicating that victimization increases perceived stigma, which in turn elevates suicidal thoughts. Job insecurity amplified the harassment-ideation link: nurses reporting higher insecurity experienced stronger adverse effects and reported greater difficulty resisting harassment. Effects were observed for harassment by both colleagues and patients.

Conclusion: Female nurses in private hospitals face substantial risk of sexual harassment and consequential psychological harm, including suicidal ideation. Interventions should integrate rigorous anti-harassment enforcement, protected and confidential reporting, stigma-reduction initiatives, accessible mental-health services, and job-security safeguards. Addressing stigma and precarious employment is essential to mitigating harm and protecting nurses' well-being.

Objective: Self-reflection is widely recognised as an essential skill for health professionals across the world. Models and accreditation standards highlighting psychology competencies have shared the view that self-reflection sits alongside other competencies such as assessment and intervention. However, there is limited research to date exploring the experience of self-reflection for psychologists, particularly research through a cognitive and metacognitive lens. This study aimed to explore the cognitive and metacognitive processes, and barriers, for psychologists when engaging in self-reflection.Method: Reflexive thematic analysis with a hybrid inductive/deductive approach was used to analyse 12 interviews with psychologists who shared their experience of self-reflection.Results: The analysis identified an overarching theme of interaction between the personal and professional self, and five subthemes of 1) attentive and responsive to cues, 2) personal and contextual barriers to self-reflection, 3) intentionally overcoming barriers, 4) meeting immediate motivations and 5) reflection for learning.Conclusion: This research adds to the current literature on self-reflection, with added depth of understanding through a cognitive and metacognitive lens, and provides evidence for the applicability of elements of existing models of self-reflection to psychologists.

Objective: As artificial intelligence has developed over the years, it has significantly influenced society as it has assisted people with their everyday lives. However, from the workplace perspective as artificial intelligence can help increase performance, it can also allow employees to perceive that their jobs can someday be replaced by it. Thus, the study explored the proximal and distal outcomes of artificial intelligence awareness on job insecurity, task performance and deviant behaviour as well as the moderating role of career resilience for the relationship between artificial intelligence awareness and job insecurity.

Method: Data were collected through a self-administered survey over three intervals. Participants were full-time office employees residing in South Korea.

Results: This study found that job insecurity mediated the relationships between artificial intelligence awareness and both task performance and deviant behaviour. Furthermore, career resilience moderated the relationship between artificial intelligence awareness and job insecurity.

Conclusions: Although technological advancements are intended to improve organisational outcomes, the study revealed that employees can develop negative perceptions of AI, leading to adverse workplace outcomes, such as increased job insecurity, deviant behaviour and decreased task performance. Furthermore, the study found career resilience to moderate the relationship between AI and job insecurity which then was found to mediate the model. These findings contribute to the existing literature and provide valuable insights for organisations aiming to mitigate the negative effects of AI.

Objective: Amid China's competitive social environment, young people increasingly perceive "involution" as undermining autonomy, with some asserting that "lying flat" serves as an autonomy-restoring strategy. Here, we attempted to explore whether unmet autonomy needs drive "lying flat" or if "lying flat" genuinely fulfils individuals' autonomy need through empirical research.

Method: We combined a large-sample questionnaire survey (Study 1) and a longitudinal follow-up study (Study 2) to investigate the relationship between individuals' autonomy need satisfaction and "lying flat".

Results: In Study 1, we found that there was a significant negative correlation between individuals' autonomy need satisfaction and "lying flat". More importantly, the cross-lagged analysis in Study 2 found that individuals' autonomy need satisfaction negatively predicted "lying flat" 1 month later, and "lying flat" also negatively predicted individuals' autonomy need satisfaction 1 month later.

Conclusions: These findings revealed a bidirectional negative prediction relationship between individuals' autonomy need satisfaction and "lying flat", which challenge the folk viewpoint that "lying flat" satisfies autonomy needs.

Objective: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have unique experiences of motherhood, underpinned by intergenerational cultural knowledge and holistic practices. Ongoing colonial violence perpetuates adversity associated with peri- and post-natal health and wellbeing outcomes. Aboriginal mothers' perceptions of resilience are not well understood, with resilience predominantly framed by Eurocentric understandings. Subsequently, this research explored the gap of post-natal resilience from an Aboriginal perspective.

Method: The research expands upon the "Corka Bubs" research of Aboriginal mothers in the antenatal period which sought to develop a novel care package to reduce adverse experiences. Utilising an Indigenous methodological lens, yarning took place with five mothers and the transcribed material was thematically analysed.

Results: Four core themes for Aboriginal resilience in motherhood were identified: Connection, Learning and Growing, Caring for Self and Others, and Identity. Combined, these connections enabled mothers to combat adversity and remain strong for their children.

Conclusion: The stories shared contribute to strengths-based understandings of Aboriginal resilience. Our findings suggest that Aboriginal mothers' resilience is grounded within holistic and collectivist values, differing from Western perceptions of resilience.

Objective: In order to support mental health help-seeking for Australian adolescents, it is imperative to understand and improve their mental health literacy (MHL). MHL measures are needed to identify MHL needs and to evaluate MHL interventions; however, a standardised MHL measure is yet to be validated for Australian adolescents. The current study aimed to validate the Universal Mental Health Literacy Scale for Adolescents (UMHL-A) with Australian adolescents.

Method: Participants were recruited through a national recruitment company and included 402 Australian youth, 15 to 18 years old. First, the factor structure of the UMHL-A was evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis. Second, reliability was assessed through internal consistency and item-total score reliability. Finally, convergent and divergent validity were appraised.

Results: Confirmatory factor analysis validated the structure of the UMHL-A with good fit indices for the four factors of help-seeking efficacy, stigma, knowledge of mental health, and knowledge of mental illness. Moreover, adequate reliability, convergent and divergent validity were demonstrated.

Conclusion: This evaluation of the UMHL-A enables theoretically grounded and psychometrically validated measurement of MHL with Australian adolescents. The UMHL-A has widespread application in research and practice, for clinicians, schools, mental health services and government policies.

Objective: The Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Program has paved the way for Indigenising and decolonising psychology programs. While Indigenisation and decolonisation of psychology programs are not yet consistent, exemplar initiatives have emerged within recent times. This paper showcases these exemplars, providing details about the "how to" privilege Indigenous knowledges and decolonising practices.

Method: A qualitative research paradigm was used to highlight multiple descriptive case studies. An Aboriginal Participatory Action Research approach honoured Indigenous leadership and governance throughout the process, which supported the use of yarning as the data collection method. The methodological approach illustrated the importance of the psychology discipline supporting epistemological justice via the inclusion of Indigenous research methodologies.

Results: The five case studies provided practical strategies and actions that other psychology education providers, and indeed other higher education providers, can use to decolonise discipline programs. Examples of enablers included Indigenous leadership in curricula design and student support within the psychology discipline challenges. Examples of challenges included a lack of resources and epistemological racism.

Conclusions: This work reaffirms the call for urgent prioritisation to support, embed, and expand Indigenous knowledges and decolonising praxis within psychology and indeed, across broader health disciplines, in Australia and around the world.

Objective: There is a lack of adequate mental health services available in rural and remote Australia, with rural Australians experiencing poorer mental health outcomes than those in urban areas. Service access needs to improve, and the current study aimed to address this by exploring the acceptability of services, including telehealth, among rural Australians.

Method: A convergent mixed-method online survey was used to examine mental health service and clinician preferences via a series of open-ended and scaled questions. A total of 294 rural and regional Australians participated in the study, and textual responses were analysed using reflexive content analysis, with a repeated measures analysis of variance utilised to further examine telehealth acceptability.

Results: Results indicated a preference for in-person support that was accessible and available, with clinicians who were qualified and clinically competent. The importance of cultural competence was also highlighted, with responses indicating a need for clinicians with both rural and local knowledge, who also fostered connection and trust with their clients. Likewise, participants demonstrated an increasing acceptability of telehealth, provided the clinician was rurally based.

Conclusions: The results indicate a need for mental health services in rural Australia to be acceptable and relevant in order to best meet the needs of this population. Implications for future service delivery in rural areas, including recommendations for further research, are discussed.