Database of Research on Ageing
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Successful Mental Health Aging: Results From a Longitudinal Study of Older Australian Men
Author/s: Almeida, Osvaldo P. Norman, Paul Hankey, Graeme Jamrozik, Konrad Flicker, Leon | Year: 2006 | Publication type: Journal article | Peer reviewed: | Topic area/s: Mental Health
Reference: Almeida, O. P., P. Norman, G. Hankey, K. Jamrozik and L. Flicker (2006). "Successful Mental Health Aging: Results From a Longitudinal Study of Older Australian Men." The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 14(1): 27-35.
- Key Words:
- health ageing, mental health, men, factors, characteristics
- Research aim:
- The authors investigated the associations of medical and lifestyle factors with the mental health of men in their 80s.Successful mental health aging was defined as reaching age 80 years with Mini-Mental State Examination score (MMSE) of 24 or more and Geriatric Depression Scale-15 items (CDS-15) score of 5 or less.
- Results/Conclusion:
- Successful mental health aging was inversely associated with age (hazard ratio [HR]=0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.81-0.94), non-English-speaking background (HR = 0.42; 95% CI: 0.21- 0.85), and the consumption of full-cream milk (HR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.45- 0.89), and directly associated with high school or university education (HR=1.92; 95% CI: 1.34-2.75) and vigorous (HR=1.89; 95% CI: 1.17- 3.05) and nonvigorous physical activity (HR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.05-2.14).
- Implications:
- Three in four men who reach age 80 years undergo successful mental health aging.
- Cultural Group(s):
- Not specific to CALD (implications discussed for non-English speaking background)
- Location of study:
- Western Australia (Perth)
- Age group:
- 80+
- Number included in study:
- 601
- Type of participants:
- men aged 80+ who completed the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) after a mean follow-up period of 4.8 years
- Research approach:
- Quantitative
- Type of data:
- Primary
- Secondary data sources used:
- Specific scales or analytical techniques used:
- Implications/ Recommendations:
- Notes:
A qualitative study of barriers to mental health services untilisation among migrants from Mainland China in South-east Sydney
Author/s: Blignault, Ilse Ponzio, Vince Ye, Rong Eisenbruc, Maurice | Year: 2008 | Publication type: Journal article | Peer reviewed: | Topic area/s: Mental Health, general wellbeing
Reference: Blignault, I., V. Ponzio, R. Ye and M. Eisenbruc (2008). "A qualitative study of barriers to mental health services untilisation among migrants from Mainland China in South-east Sydney " International Journal of Social Psychiatry 54(2): 180-190.
- Key Words:
- Chinese, mental health, service access, service use
- Research aim:
- Chinese-language speakers comprise the largest non-English speaking population in Australia but they have among the lowest rates of mental health services utilisation. This paper explores the reasons for this.
- Results/Conclusion:
- Participants identified several factors that limit access to mental healthcare as well as the quality of care received: mental health literacy, communication difficulties, stigma, confidentiality concerns, service constraints and discrimination. Cross-cultural communication was not just a matter of hearing individual words but also appreciating idioms and cultural and social references.
- Implications:
- Findings have implications for the prevention and treatment of mental disorders among migrants from China, and caution against assuming heterogeneity within ethnic groups. Mental health services must become more culturally competent in their attempts to engage the target group and to deliver both acute and continuing care.
- Cultural Group(s):
- Chinese
- Location of study:
- New South Wales (Sydney)
- Age group:
- not specific to older people
- Number included in study:
- 9 patients, 1 caregiver, 11 service providers, 13 community members
- Type of participants:
- Chinese language speakers, carers, stakeholders - recruited through mental health services groups in Sydney
- Research approach:
- Qualitative
- Type of data:
- Primary
- Secondary data sources used:
- Specific scales or analytical techniques used:
- Implications/ Recommendations:
- Notes:
A BETTER WAY Mental Health and Aged Care – a Multicultural Perspective
Author/s: Ethnic Communities Councils of Victoria | Year: 2011 | Publication type: Report | Peer reviewed: | Topic area/s: Mental Health
Reference: Ethnic Communities Councils of Victoria (2011). A BETTER WAY Mental Health and Aged Care - a Multicultural Perspective. Discussion Paper
- Key Words:
- mental health, discussion paper, service needs, lifecourse
- Research aim:
- The aim of this discussion paper is to provide insights and policy directions regarding the emotional wellbeing of older people from non-English speaking backgrounds.Its task was to examine pertinent issues relating to the intersection of mental health and aged care in ethnic communities. The ECCV Health Policy committee also provided input and as such several of the policy recommendations apply to ethnic mental health beyond aged care.
- Results/Conclusion:
- This discussion paper raises issues of concern regarding mental illness in ethnic communities. These include cultural perceptions of mental illness, the effect of migration, traumatic pre-migration experiences, shame, stigma and the hidden incident of suicide as well as the nexus between dementia and depression.
- Implications:
- ECCV advocates for culturally responsive, community-based mental health services. New models of mental health care are required that focus on inter-agency co-operation between health services and ethnic and multicultural organisations, as well as the development of community-based initiatives. Such initiatives would build on the work already carried out by ethnic agencies that is targeted at non-English speakers. Whilst the main focus is on older people from culturally diverse backgrounds, many of the issues of concern and multicultural insights apply to non-English speaking people of all age groups.
- Cultural Group(s):
- CALD
- Location of study:
- Victoria
- Age group:
- older people
- Number included in study:
- N/A
- Type of participants:
- Research approach:
- Type of data:
- Secondary data sources used:
- Specific scales or analytical techniques used:
- Implications/ Recommendations:
- Notes:
- Not primary research - a discussion paper from ECCV about the mental health issues for older migrants and what things need to be considered/services need to be offered to better meet needs
An investigation of aged care mental health knowledge of Queensland aged care nurses
Author/s: Hsu, Mei Chi Moyle, Wendy Creedy, Debra Venturato, Lorraine | Year: 2005 | Publication type: Journal article | Peer reviewed: | Topic area/s: General Care, Culturally Appropriate Care, Mental Health
Reference: Hsu, M. C., W. Moyle, D. Creedy and L. Venturato (2005). "An investigation of aged care mental health knowledge of Queensland aged care nurses." International Journal of Mental Health Nursing 14(1): 16-23.
- Key Words:
- service providers, culturally appropriate care, nursing, psychiatric disorders
- Research aim:
- This study sought to identify the aged care mental health knowledge of registered nurses (RNs) employed in long-term aged care and test the validity and reliability of a North American tool for use in an Australian context.
- Results/Conclusion:
- Participants were found to be unprepared for the reality of caring for the mental health needs of an older population and to have knowledge deficits related to suicide, prevalence of mental illness, mental health and ethnicity, and a number of issues regarding dementia.
- Implications:
- Cultural Group(s):
- Location of study:
- Queensland
- Age group:
- Number included in study:
- 107
- Type of participants:
- Resident Nurses in long-term care facilities in Queensland
- Research approach:
- Quantitative
- Type of data:
- Primary
- Secondary data sources used:
- Specific scales or analytical techniques used:
- Mary Starke Harper Ageing Knowledge Exam (MSHAKE)
- Implications/ Recommendations:
- Notes:
Ethnic minority community patients and the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative
Author/s: Klimidis, Steven Minas, Harry Kokanovic, Renata | Year: 2006 | Publication type: Journal article | Peer reviewed: | Topic area/s: Mental Health
Reference:
- Key Words:
- Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care Initiative (BOiMHC), mental health, ethnic minority communities
- Research aim:
- To compare general practitioners registered under the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative (BOiMHC) and those not registered, in addressing mental disorders in members of ethnic minority communities (EMCs).
- Results/Conclusion:
- The most prevalent problems of the full sample included lack of access to bilingual allied health (70%), access to translated materials (58%) and low EMC patient compliance with mental health assessment and treatment (64%). Significantly less of those registered in the BOiMHC endorsed problems of access to bilingual allied health, interpreters and translated materials compared with those not registered.
- Implications:
- Possible impacts of the BOiMHC appear to be modest in relation to EMC patients with mental disorders.
- Cultural Group(s):
- Ethnic minority communities
- Location of study:
- Victoria (Melbourne)
- Age group:
- not specific to older people
- Number included in study:
- 311
- Type of participants:
- General practitioners who had seen ethnic minority communities patients with a mental disorder within the last 3 months
- Research approach:
- Quantitative
- Type of data:
- Secondary data sources used:
- Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative (BOiMHC)
- Specific scales or analytical techniques used:
- Implications/ Recommendations:
- Notes:
Epidemiology of anxiety disorders in the Australian general population: Findings of the 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Author/s: McEvoy, P. M. Grove, R. Slade, T. | Year: 2011 | Publication type: Journal article | Peer reviewed: | Topic area/s: Mental Health
Reference:
- Key Words:
- anxiety, prevelance, characteristics
- Research aim:
- The aims of this study were to report 12-month and lifetime prevalence for anxiety disorders in the Australian general population, identify sociodemographic and clinical correlates of anxiety disorders, and report the rates of comorbidity among anxiety, affective, and substance use disorders across the lifespan.
- Results/Conclusion:
- Being in the oldest age ranges and being born in another non-English speaking country were associated with lower odds of having an anxiety disorder.
- Implications:
- Cultural Group(s):
- Not specific to CALD (results discussed for people from non-English speaking country)
- Location of study:
- Age group:
- 18-65
- Number included in study:
- 8,841
- Type of participants:
- Respondents to the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing survey
- Research approach:
- Quantitative
- Type of data:
- Primary
- Secondary data sources used:
- The 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Specific scales or analytical techniques used:
- DSM-IV
- Implications/ Recommendations:
- Notes:
Specialist Mental Health Services for Older People (SMHSOP) -NSW Service Plan – 2005-2015
Author/s: NSW Department of Health | Year: 2006 | Publication type: Report | Peer reviewed: | Topic area/s: Mental Health
Reference:
- Key Words:
- mental health, services, stragegies framework
- Research aim:
- This plan is intended to guide the development of Specialist Mental Health Services for Older People (SMHSOP) in Area Health Services across NSW over the next 10 years. Includes a small section on CALD older people as a special needs groups for health services
- Results/Conclusion:
- There is a limited evidence base concerning service models for older people with mental health problems from CALD backgrounds, and it is anticipated that culturally appropriate models will be developed, piloted and reviewed in Phase 1 of implementation to inform service developments in Phase 2.
- Implications:
- Ten year plan for meeting the mental heath needs of the elderly in NSW
- Cultural Group(s):
- Not CALD specific (identifies CALD as a special needs group)
- Location of study:
- New South Wales
- Age group:
- older people
- Number included in study:
- N/A
- Type of participants:
- Research approach:
- Type of data:
- Secondary data sources used:
- Specific scales or analytical techniques used:
- Implications/ Recommendations:
- Notes:
- Not primary research - review of needs and services working towards creating a mental health plan for older people in NSW for the next 10 years - one of the outcomes of this was a CALD mental health working group
Demystifying Mental Health in Ethnic Communities: Multicultural Mental Health Project Evaluation
Author/s: Toczek, Patrycja | Year: 2009 | Publication type: Report | Peer reviewed: | Topic area/s: Mental Health
Reference:
- Key Words:
- mental health, services access, involuntary and voluntary migration, ethno-specific community groups, collaboration
- Research aim:
- To identify strategies to reponse to the mental health needs of people from ethnically diverse communities focusing on community groups who were under-represented in the utilisation of mental health services and who had had similar issues around the migration experience ie. Community members were forced to leave their countries of birth as a result of war, political conflict and other traumatic events.
- Results/Conclusion:
- The need to recognise traditional responses / treatments to address mental health issues was voiced alongside the need to find a way to make modern, western approaches effective and culturally responsive.
- Implications:
- Responses demonstrate that there is a need for this type of program to be adequately funded and resourced and to be delivered over a significantly longer period of time. Recommendations include: Provision of ongoing long-term funding to ethnic communities, More focus on prevention and early intervention in culturally and linguistically appropriate formats, More targeted approach by governments and funding bodies in responding to mental illness, More focus of collaborative work between the mainstream and ethno-specific sector.
- Cultural Group(s):
- Polish, Cambodian, Chinese, Macedonian, Arabic
- Location of study:
- Victoria
- Age group:
- not specific to older people
- Number included in study:
- a number of people involved across the 4 ethnic groups involved in the study
- Type of participants:
- ethnic community members, service providers, general comminity members
- Research approach:
- Mixed methods
- Type of data:
- Primary
- Secondary data sources used:
- Specific scales or analytical techniques used:
- Implications/ Recommendations:
- Notes:
Gender differences in mental health literacy among Chinese-speaking Australians in Melbourne, Australia
Author/s: Wong, D. F. K. Lam, A. Y. K. Poon, A. Chow, A. Y. M. | Year: 2012 | Publication type: Journal article | Peer reviewed: | Topic area/s: Mental Health
Reference:
- Key Words:
- gender, Chinese, mental illness, characteristics, perceptions, cultural norms
- Research aim:
- This study attempted to understand gender differences in knowledge of mental illness, preference for professional help, and medications and treatment methods among Australians of Chinese-speaking background by presenting participants with two vignettes describing an individual with acute depression or acute schizophrenia and then questions were asked to assess their understanding of the conditions, preference for professional help, medications and treatment methods.
- Results/Conclusion:
- More female than male respondents could correctly identify the conditions in the two vignettes. Female participants also perceived medications to be relatively more harmful than their male counterparts. In contrast, there were significantly more males than females who adhered to traditional views on the causation of mental illness; had significantly higher percentages of endorsement of 'deal with it alone'; believed 'traditional Chinese medical doctor' and 'Chinese herbal medicines' to be helpful to the person in the schizophrenia vignette; and significantly endorsed 'psychiatric ward', 'electro-convulsive treatment', 'changing fungshui' and 'traditional Chinese worship' to be helpful for the persons in both vignettes.
- Implications:
- A combination of factors, which included age, duration of migration and traditional Chinese cultural values, were put forward to explain the above differences.
- Cultural Group(s):
- Chinese
- Location of study:
- Victoria (Melbourne)
- Age group:
- not specific to older people (mean age 57 males, 45 females)
- Number included in study:
- 200
- Type of participants:
- Chinese-speaking Australians
- Research approach:
- Mixed methods
- Type of data:
- Primary
- Secondary data sources used:
- Specific scales or analytical techniques used:
- Implications/ Recommendations:
- Notes: