Jasmine B. MacDonald

• BA (Psychology & Sociology) / BSW (Hons), Ph.D.
• Senior Researcher at Australian Institute of Family Studies

Most evaluations of counselling interventions focus on the type of counselling and on the techniques and activities used by the counsellor (e.g. psychoeducation, meditation and mindfulness or art therapy). However, these may be missing the most important part of the story when it comes to client outcomes. Decades of research draw attention to a gro...

This policy and practice paper describes what we know about the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and violence against family animals. It covers: (a) the forms of violence against family animals in an IPV context; (b) why perpetrators of IPV use violence against family animals; (c) how violence against family animals affects vict...

Overview Coercive control is the ongoing and repetitive use of behaviours or strategies (including physical and non-physical violence) to control a current or ex intimate partner (i.e. victim-survivor) and make them feel inferior to, and dependent on, the perpetrator (Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety [ANROWS], 2021). C...

Individuals and teams in the journalism community cover stories relating to death, destruction, and tragedy in society, exposing themselves to potentially traumatic events (PTEs). The aim of this review was to explore: (1) the impact trauma exposure may have on substance use, (2) substance use as a method of coping, and (3) personality profiles tha...

Although research evidence has highlighted various benefits of nature play, there is less evidence about what factors impact children’s engagement in nature play, especially young children’s. Knowledge about the factors affecting levels of engagement with nature play during a child’s early years can assist practitioners to support parents in: (a) i...

This report presents a literature review on coercive control in the context of domestic and family violence, with a particular focus on the understanding of, and responses to coercive control in the Australian context. Commissioned by the Australian Attorney-General’s Department, this review focuses on identifying, summarising, analysing and synthe...

Discussion forums are often touted as maximising student participation and learning but concerns around engagement counter any perceived benefits. Often participation is the measure of engagement, and students who do not post are deemed unengaged. To further examine engagement and forums as learning communities, we used analytic data from 270 stude...

As populations around the world age, the demand for aged care services also increases. Because the success of aged care services depends on the interpersonal skills and psychological well-being of aged care workers, it is important to understand the psychological demands facing individuals working in aged care settings. This study assessed the rela...

COVID-19 restrictions and the social and financial repercussions are negatively affecting the mental health of Australians. Asian Australians may be further at risk of negative mental health outcomes due to the racial discrimination that has emerged during this pandemic. This study used an online questionnaire to assess whether COVID-19-related rac...

As populations around the world age, the demand for aged care services also increases. Because the success of aged care services depends on the interpersonal skills and psychological wellbeing of aged care workers, it is important to understand the psychological demands facing the individuals working in aged care. This study assessed the relative i...

Non-occupational burnout is an under-examined field of research, particularly activist burnout where estimations of prevalence rates rival some of the highest occupational rates of burnout. Research in this area has focused on domain-specific activism, but has not considered climate activists, a large movement that continues to grow in importance....

Journalists are a unique population as they frequently cover stories relating to violence, crime, death, destruction, and tragedy, exposing them to potentially traumatic events. This study aimed to assess whether personal and work-related trauma exposure are associated with the substance use behaviours of TV news journalists, as well as the relatio...

Previous research with general journalist samples has shown that journalists, in comparison to the general population, are at increased risk for trauma exposure and related psychological distress. Studies have seldom investigated more specific subgroups within the occupation. This study investigated current levels of work-related and personal expos...

This systematic literature review (SLR) serves as the first consolidation and synthesis of the quantitative literature concerning posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in journalist samples. The SLR method adopted was based on that prescribed by Fink (2010) and contains three main elements: sampling the literature, screening the literature,...

This narrative review examined the literature relevant to encounters between physiotherapists and clients with suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STBs). The review was conducted in response to a growing international movement to make suicide prevention everyone's business. The Framework for Suicide Risk Assessment and Management for NSW Health Staff...

Mental health research focusing on journalists has largely tended to give precedence to trauma exposure and subsequent symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. However, there are several occupational factors that may be associated with the development of depressive symptoms in journalists. This systematic literature review aims to provide a conci...

There is growing demand for online learning activities that offer flexibility for students to study anywhere, anytime, as online students fit study around work and family commitments. We designed a series of online activities and evaluated how, where, and with what devices students used the activities, as well as their levels of engagement and deep...

In Australia, physiotherapists are registered healthcare practitioners who possess the knowledge and skills to care for clients with poor physical health as a result of musculoskeletal, neurological, and respiratory conditions. Although physiotherapists are not considered a primary profession in the Australian mental health workforce, the associati...

Research indicates that TV news journalists’ ongoing exposure to trauma can result in psychopathology. However, we currently know little about potential differences in trauma exposure between individuals in varying journalistic roles. The aim of this study is to contextualize the existing knowledge of psychological outcomes for TV news journalists...

A team of psychology academics and learning experience designers collaborated to develop interactive online learning resources for two undergraduate psychology subjects; including, interactive topic mindmaps, scenario-based learning tutorials, and a series of interactive scenario games. A sequential mixed-methods approach was adopted to explore the...

Past research indicates that journalists experience elevated levels of trauma exposure, as well as elevated levels of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and burnout symptoms. Understanding the kinds and nature of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) journalists are exposed to is the first step in safeguarding individuals against adverse trau...

TV news camera operators are exposed first-hand to the emotional and visceral experience of filming individuals and communities in times of adversity and disaster. Despite this, there are currently no empirical studies focusing on camera operators’ psychological well-being or trauma exposure. This study explored what it is like to cover potentially...

Working as part of a crew improves health outcomes and work practices for journalists who cover traumatic stories, writes Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. In: College of Clinical Psychologists eNewsletter (February), Australian Psychological Society.

There are a number of reasons why people working in the media and publishing may experience burnout. Dr. Jasmine B. MacDonald looks at some of the contributing factors. In: College of Clinical Psychologists eNewsletter (March), Australian Psychological Society.

Past research indicates that journalists’ ongoing exposure to trauma can result in psychopathology. However, previous research has not considered whether trauma exposure and reactions differ depending on whether news workers are working individually or within a crew. The research question was as follows: What functional roles do crew relationships...

Journalists are historically portrayed as heavy drinkers and smokers, but do the stereotypes match reality? Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald outlines a recent literature review that examined substance use among journalists. In: College of Clinical Psychologists eNewsletter (July), Australian Psychological Society.

Background: Past research indicates that TV news journalists’ ongoing exposure to trauma can result in psychopathology. However, currently we know little about potential differences in trauma exposure between journalistic roles, such as camera-operator and reporter. Similarly, previous research has not considered whether trauma exposure and reactio...

News frequently requires footage of stories relating to fatal car accidents, crime, murder, suicide, natural disasters, and various other forms of violence and tragedy within society. Camera operators are exposed first-hand to the emotional and visceral experience of filming individuals and communities in times of adversity and disaster. Despite th...

Journalists frequently cover stories relating to fatal car accidents, crime, murder, suicide, natural disasters, and various other forms of violence and tragedy within society. The present systematic literature review aims to provide a concise, comprehensive, and systematic review of the quantitative literature relating to journalists’ exposure to...

PhD Candidate at Charles Sturt University’s ‘School of Psychology’ discusses the work-related experiences of distress and trauma amongst television news camera operators. In: Australian Cinematographer

The present study aims to provide a concise, comprehensive, and systematic review of the quantitative literature relating to the experience of burnout in journalists of various specialties and mediums. The systematic review method adopted is that prescribed by Fink (2010), which contains three main elements: Sampling the literature, screening the l...

Reality television (TV) has achieved broad popularity in Australia and worldwide with its ability to permeate a range of social spheres, most notably the domestic sphere. It has also blurred the lines between real people in real situations with ‘manufactured’ performances in worlds specifically created for narrative. There is probably no better rep...

Background: The present systematic literature review (SLR) aims to provide a concise, comprehensive, and systematic review of the quantitative literature relating to journalists’ exposure and reactions to potentially traumatic events (PTEs). Journalists frequently cover stories relating to fatal car accidents, crime, murder, suicide, natural disast...

While there are well-known anecdotes and documented insight cases by renowned scientists and inventors, little is known about the experiences of insight in the general population. The present study aimed to determine peoples' self-reported experience of insight in their daily lives. Using an online questionnaire, responses were obtained from 1,114...

Background: Journalists' exposure to PTEs, high levels of job stress, and anecdotal reports within the industry seem to suggest that journalists are at greater risk than the general population to experience substance use disorders. The present systematic literature review (SLR) aims to provide a concise, comprehensive, and systematic review of the...

Reality TV has blurred the lines between real people in real situations with ‘manufactured’ performances in worlds specifically created for narrative, that potentially serve the function of normalising antisocial behavior for the entertainment of others. Interestingly, through doing so the viewer ‘learns’ what is socially acceptable in contemporary...

There is a dearth of information in the knowledge base about who the chardonnay consumer is, what their wine-consumption metrics are, what sensory characteristics they associate chardonnay with, and who influenced their perceptions. This study examines the consumer engagement with chardonnay, and contributes evidence-based research to inform future...

Consumer attitudes to environmental practices used in the wine industry

The objective of the present study was to examine consumer preference and consumption behaviour with respect to the health benefits of wine for two contextually and culturally diverse consumer groups, namely Koreans and Australians. Participants were required to be wine consumers over the age of 18. Responses were collected by means of an online qu...

Many reports have indicated a shift towards integrating environmentally friendly wine production practices into wine selection decisions. This study investigates the changes in attitude towards environmentally friendly produced wines from 2007 to 2011. A survey was conducted including 1229 and 2001 respondents, respectively. Both samples were colle...

The article focuses on descriptive analyses done by the consumer-sensory research facility of the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre on Langhorne Creek Shiraz Cabernet. The analyses used eighteen descriptors to characterize the wines and based on the plot produced, a good variation was found in nine wines with some showing higher levels of cin...

The validity of questionnaire methodologies has been scrutinised more than ever before, partly due to the rise of sophisticated alternatives such as Discrete Choice Analysis (DCA). Initial concerns over the validity of traditional questionnaire results may be premature. The present study aimed to explore this idea in relation to wine consumption be...