Publications by authors named "S D Lawn"
Objectives: To examine trends in access to mental healthcare by old and very old people since the commencement of Australia's Better Access Initiative in 2006.
Methods: Descriptive analysis of changes in access by people aged 75-84 and over 85 using data analysed and published by the AIHW.
Results: Since the introduction of Better Access, rates of access to specialist inpatient and community mental healthcare have reduced for those aged 75 years and older.
Development of the post-traumatic stress disorder assessment scale for emergency services.
Arch Environ Occup Health
December 2024
This paper describes the development and validation of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Assessment Scale for Emergency Services (PASES). The PASES was developed to address the needs of Australia's first National Mental Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services, which covered Police, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue and State Emergency Services personnel. PASES offers several advantages for use in the emergency services sector over other Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) screening scales, including assessment of functional impairment, a dimensional measure of severity which includes identification of sub-threshold cases experiencing distress and impairment, and allowing for experience of cumulative trauma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Protecting doctors' mental health has typically focused on individuals, rather than addressing organisational and structural-level factors in the work environment.
Objectives: This study uses the socioecological model (SEM) to illuminate and explore how these broader factors inform the mental health of individual doctors.
Design: Semi-structured interviews (20-25 hours) and ethnographic observations (90 hours) involving work shadowing doctors (n=14).
Background: General practice is pivotal in delivering mental health care within communities, yet the attitudes and professional factors influencing this provision remain underexplored. This study seeks to understand the perspective of general practice staff around the professional factors that influence the provision of primary mental health care.
Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with semi-structured interviews of 14 general practice staff involved in mental health care.
Article Synopsis
- A study in Australia explored the experiences of family carers supporting individuals with mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting increased anxiety and distress due to service disruptions.
- Researchers used a 71-question online survey to gather data on family carers' experiences, revealing that they often supported multiple people, resulting in increased caregiving hours and complex challenges.
- The findings suggest that government policies during the pandemic did not adequately address the financial, practical, or emotional needs of family carers, potentially leading to negative mental health outcomes for them.