Deirdre Mclaughlin

The University of Queensland | UQ · School of Public Health

Scant research exists on the patterns of changes in older women’s housing, and whether and when women transition into residential aged care (RAC). This study aimed to identify groups of women with different housing patterns (latent classes) over time, with a secondary aim to describe socio-demographic and health characteristics of women in each cla...

Objective: To compare long-term quality of life outcomes by marital status among women living with breast cancer, and to test the mediation effects of social support as an underlying factor. Methods: Data are drawn from 1996 to 2010 of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. The sample included 505 women with breast cancer with six...

Background: Driving cessation in later life is associated with depression. This study examines if social support can buffer the negative effects of driving cessation on older women's mental health. Methods: Participants were drawn from the 1921–1926 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) and included 4,075 older wome...

Objective: To examine urban-rural differences and individual risk factors for a late stage of breast cancer at diagnosis in Australian women. Design: Individual-level longitudinal data were linked with cancer registry data from New South Wales (New South Wales Cancer Registry linked by the Centre for Health Record Linkage (CHeReL)), Queensland (...

Background —The study of occupational stress and compassion fatigue in personnel working in animal-related occupations has gained momentum over the last decade. However, there remains incongruence in understanding what is currently termed compassion fatigue and the associated unique contributory factors. Furthermore, there is minimal established ev...

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the association between optimism and psychological distress in women with breast cancer after taking into account their self-rated general health. Methods: Data were aggregated from the Scottish Health Survey (2008 to 2011) to derive a nationally representative sample of 12,255 women (11,960 cancer-fr...

In 1996 the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health recruited a nationally representative sample of more than 40 000 women in three age cohorts, born in 1973-78, 1946-51 and 1921-26. At least six waves of 3-yearly surveys have been completed. Although the focus remains on factors affecting the health and well-being of women and their access...

Objective: To test the hypothesis that rural populations had lower uptake of screening mammography than urban populations in the Scottish and Australian setting. Method: Scottish data are based upon information from the Scottish Breast Screening Programme Information System describing uptake among women residing within the NHS Highland Health Bo...

Introduction: Previous research has shown that the uptake of health screening programs can be influenced by various demographics, such as deprivation, gender and, more recently, rural residence. This study tested the hypothesis that rural populations had lower uptake of screening mammography in the Scottish and Australian setting. Methods: Scotti...

51% of women in the 1946-51 cohort have arthritis at age 62-67. This prevalence is already higher than the prevalence of arthritis among women in the 1921-26 cohort when they were aged 73-75.  MBS and PBS costs are $1000 higher for women with arthritis in the 1946-51 cohort compared to women with no arthritis. Costs are $500 higher among women in...

Patients have a right to privacy in a health care setting. This involves conversational discretion, security of medical records and physical privacy of remaining unnoticed or unidentified when using health care services other than by those who need to know or whom the patient wishes to know. However, the privacy of cancer patients who live in rural...

Non-adherence to cardiovascular medications is a problem worldwide, even in Australia, which has a socialized medical system, Medicare. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the burden of non-adherence to cardiovascular medications and factors thereof in Australia. Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library databases were search...

ObjectivesA breast cancer diagnosis is a distressing event that impacts on physical and psychological functioning. This study examined the longitudinal relationships among a diagnosis of breast cancer, social support, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).Methods Participants were 412 women from the 1946–1951 birth cohort of the Australian Lon...

The objective of the current study was to examine whether exposure to trauma in the form of a history of physical, mental, emotional or sexual abuse or violence predicted new onset of coronary heart disease (CHD) in women. In addition, this study aimed to examine the mediation effects of psychological, lifestyle and health related factors in the ab...

Report prepared for the Australian Government Department of Health

Introduction: The lower breast cancer survival rate observed among rural women may be related to differences in screening access and utilization. We evaluated existing evidence for rural and urban differences in mammography service use in adult women. Methods: A systematic search was conducted on 4 April 2012 and updated on 1 November 2012, whic...

We identified breast screening patterns over time and patterns among women residing in rural and urban areas by sociodemographic factors. This study employs a longitudinal design over 9 years from 2001 on 11,200 women aged 50 to 55 from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Area of residence was defined in accordance with the accessi...

Objective: To determine whether tobacco retailer density and cigarette prices differ between low and high socioeconomic status suburbs in South-East Queensland. Methods: A survey of retail outlets selling cigarettes was conducted in selected suburbs over a two-day period. The suburbs were identified by geographical cluster sampling based on their I...

In the last 10 years, Prison Animal Programs (PAPs) have been implemented in many Australian correctional centres. Like our international counterparts, these programs receive glowing endorsements from key stakeholders and accolades in the media. The evidence supporting these programs however has not kept pace with public opinion. This article provi...

Purpose Survival from breast cancer is dependent on stage at diagnosis and some evidence suggests that rural women are more likely than urban women to be diagnosed with advanced stage disease. This systematic review and meta-analysis compared stage of breast cancer at diagnosis between women residing in urban and rural areas. Methods Pubmed (1951-...

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use has been researched widely; however, studies with older adults and Australian populations are limited. The profile of Australian women CAM users has been mapped using the 1996 data from the ALSWH (Adams et al ., 2003). Mid-age adults were frequent CAM users (28%) followed by young adults (19%) and ol...

Background Estimates of the absolute risk of death based on the combined effects of sex, age and health behaviours are scarce for elderly people. The aim of this paper is to calculate population based estimates and display them using simple charts that may be useful communication tools for public health authorities, health care providers and policy...

The aim of this study was to examine sex differences in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among older adults. Cross-sectional analysis of data from two cohort studies of community-dwelling women (n = 5399) and men (n = 3188) aged 82-87 and 77-91 years, respectively. The main outcome measure was self-report of consultations with an al...

The objective of the current study was to examine whether a history of comorbid depression and anxiety predicted new onset of heart disease. Data from 6 surveys, spanning 15 years, of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, a large prospective cohort study were used, including health status, lifestyle, and sociodemographic measures. Pa...

The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) among older adults is an emerging health issue, however little is known about older people's experiences of using CAM and the cultural, geographical and other determinants of CAM use in this population. This study used qualitative methods to explore older women's views of CAM and reasons for...

high levels of social support and engagement may help sustain good health and functional ability. However, the definition of social support in previous research has been inconsistent and findings are mixed. The aim of this analysis was to explore the effect of two aspects of social support on subsequent disability in a group of community dwelling o...

Regular physical activity is associated with reduced risk of mortality in middle-aged adults; however, associations between physical activity and mortality in older people have been less well studied. The objective of this study was to compare relationships between physical activity and mortality in older women and men. The prospective cohort desig...

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between social support and all-cause mortality in an older population, investigating gender differences and baseline health status differences. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health and The Health in Men Study. PARTICIPANTS: Older women (n=4252, 10 years follow-up)...

Introduction Demographic changes and increasing life expectancy in developed countries mean that ever increasing numbers of people will live into their 70s. These individuals, their families and healthcare providers, and healthcare policy makers will be seeking valid, yet simple, information that helps them predict their long-term mortality and how...

Women report higher rates of depression and anxiety than men; however, it is uncertain whether this gender difference continues into advanced old age. 78 men and 111 women aged 82-87 years from the Men, Women and Ageing Project completed measures of anxiety (Geriatric Anxiety Inventory), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire; PHQ9), general psyc...

There is controversy about whether men and women with similar smoking histories have similar incidence and mortality rates from smoking related diseases. To compare mortality rates from all causes of death and various smoking related causes for men and women smokers categorised by numbers of cigarettes smoked and for ex-smokers by time since quitti...

Physical functioning is an important determinant of mortality and morbidity in older adults and there may be differences by gender and marital status. This study compared disability, measured by the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), between older men and women who are either pa...

The article presents abstracts of aging research. They include "Ageism: A threat to ageing well in the 21st century," "Toward a model of male caregiving," "Screening for anxiety in mild cognitively impaired individuals," and "Factors associated with burden and depression in older husbands who were providing care at home for wives with dementia."

Epilepsy in late adulthood may present a number of challenges, which are not typically confronted by younger persons. Increased depression associated with fear of falls, heightened social isolation and the possible reduction in functional independence imposed by seizures may greatly inhibit quality of life in older adults. Psychological interventio...

Evidence suggests that people with strong social support have lower mortality and morbidity and better self-rated health in later life, but few studies have used longitudinal data to examine the factors that inhibit or enhance social support. This study used both quantitative data and qualitative texts to explore older women's social networks. The...

Aim: To review findings from the Men, Women and Ageing (MWA) longitudinal studies and consider their implications for national health guidelines. Methods: Guidelines for good health for older adults in the areas of body mass index (BMI), physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking behaviours are compared with MWA findings. Results: Findings...

Death rates in Australia are higher in rural than urban areas. Our objective is to examine causes of death of urban and rural women to gain insight into potential explanations for differences in mortality. Participants were a community-based random sample of women (n=12,400) aged 70-75 years when recruited in 1996 to the Australian Longitudinal Stu...

As the age of the general population increases, the number of elderly people who need care is increasing. It has been suggested that rural carers may be disadvantaged compared to urban carers, but it is not clear what affect geographic location has on carers. This paper presents a systematic review of the literature on urban-rural comparisons on va...

Few studies have examined the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy to manage seizures and improve psychosocial functioning in older adults with epilepsy. This study evaluated the efficacy of a 6 week group CBT program in community dwelling adults with epilepsy who were aged over 60 years. A total of 37 participants were randomly assigned to...

Strong social support is associated with lower mortality and morbidity and better self-rated health in later life. The aim of this study was to compare social network size and satisfaction in men (N = 2589) and women (n = 3152), aged 72-78 years. Women reported significantly larger networks (Difference 1.36, 95% CI 0.89, 1.83) than men. However, be...

Few studies have examined the impact of epilepsy on the quality of life of older people, although epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders of old age. This study investigated the association of depression, seizure type and frequency and locus of control on health related quality of life in community dwelling adults aged over 60 yea...

Symposium: • Why are death rates higher in rural areas? Annette Dobson, Deirdre McLaughlin • Chronic health conditions and risk factors Richard Hockey, Gita Mishra • Pap tests and mammograms: are there urban/rural differences in takeup in women? Julie Byles, Xenia Dolja-Gore, Jenny Powers, Deb Loxton, Annette Dobson • Out of pocket costs for medica...

Objective: Death rates in Australia are higher in rural than urban areas. Our objective is to examine causes of death of urban and rural women to gain insight into potential explanations for differences in mortality. Methods: Participants were a community-based random sample of women (n=12,400) aged 70-75 years when recruited in 1996 to the Austral...

The increasing prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is a significant health care issue in contemporary societies and researchers have identified CAM as holding potential for treating and coping with chronic illness and other conditions experienced in later life. This paper focuses upon contemporary research literature to p...

Older people may act as sensitive indicators of the effectiveness of health systems. Our objective is to distinguish between the effects of socio-economic and behavioural factors and use of health services on urban-rural differences in mortality and health of elderly women. Baseline and longitudinal analysis of data from a prospective cohort study....

Objective: an abbreviated form of the Duke Social Support Index (DSSI) as used in a large longitudinal study of older Australian women was examined with respect to factors that might be expected to affect social support for older women over time. Methods: in this large cohort study two sub-scales of the DSSI, one describing the size and structur...

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders of late adulthood, yet little research has examined the impact of epilepsy on the quality of life of older people. Current measures of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have been developed and used almost exclusively in adults under the age of 65. The issues, which affect HRQOL in young...

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders of late adulthood, yet little research has examined the impact of epilepsy in an older population, particularly in relation to depression. It has been argued that the symptomatology of interictal depression closely resembles that of dysthymia; however, our understanding of depression in olde...

Aim: Social support is an important factor in maintaining health and well-being for older adults. Late adulthood is associated with declining social networks due to a number of factors, including the deaths of friends, retirement, declining physical health and decreased mobility. Carstensen’s (1) socioemotional selectivity theory proposes that olde...

Australia is a culturally diverse country, with one in five older Australians born overseas in non-English speaking countries, as well as others who are part of the Indigenous population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Little is known about how these individuals age productively and contribute to society. Survey data show that they are l...

Background: We examined the relationships among child behavioural and demographic characteristics and parent characteristics in understanding the effectiveness of parenting practices used by mothers of children diagnosed with ADHD. Method: One hundred and fifty Australian mothers of children diagnosed with ADHD were interviewed and asked to assess...

The article adopts a developmental approach to successful human aging by exploring the concept of generativity in relation to a study of older Australians' lived experiences of involvement in the family and community. Qualitative data, collected through focus group interviews, were analyzed interpretively using recent developments in Erikson's theo...

This paper explores the contributions made by older women to the community as informal volunteers. It argues that ageing policy is not gender neutral and tends to ignore the contributions made by women outside paid work. As well as being ignored in policy, women's unpaid roles have been denigrated by some feminist commentators, who suggest that the...

This paper describes the ways in which older people contribute to their communities and families as informal volunteers. It challenges current ways of thinking that assign an economic value to the productive activities undertaken by older people. Using qualitative data from a study of older people resident in Queensland, Australia, the paper explor...

This paper examines the diverse ways that older people contribute to community, and specifically how older people care for and guide the next generation. Erikson's psychosocial model of development (1968) is used as a framework for understanding these behaviours. Specifically, generativity, as Erikson's seventh stage, is useful in understanding our...

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among biological factors (family history, medication), psychological factors (depression, personality traits) and social factors (adjustment, isolation) associated with epilepsy in late adulthood

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2005. Includes bibliography.