Michael James Ireland

University of Southern Queensland · Department of Psychology

Background Implementation of trauma-informed care (TIC) into forensic clinical practice may contribute to positive outcomes for both patients and staff. Aim The current study aimed to describe forensic mental health nurses' perceptions and experiences of using TIC within a high-secure forensic hospital. Method Twenty-seven forensic mental health...

Background Population mail-out bowel cancer screening programs save lives through prevention and early detection; however, their effectiveness is constrained by low participation rates. Many non-participants are “intenders”; that is, they intend to screen but fail to do so, often forgetting or procrastinating. This study aimed to co-design interven...

Background Early mobilisation is beneficial to support recovery among critically ill patients. The literature highlights the benefits of family engagement in early mobilisation, yet this practice remains underutilised. Effective implementation depends on understanding the key antecedents that influence family engagement in early mobilisation, speci...

Background: The implementation of the recovery model into forensic mental health care promotes hope and has important implications for inpatients' community reintegration. Aim: This study aimed to describe forensic mental health nurses' perceptions and experiences of providing care using the recovery model within a high-secure forensic hospital...

Purpose The purpose of this empirical study was to test whether presenting organizational change in a way that enhances employee self-worth will result in increased employee support for the identified change. In doing so, we developed a new measure, which includes a novel baseline element. Design/methodology/approach Items were developed, and then...

Background Population mail-out bowel cancer screening programs save lives through prevention and early detection; however, their effectiveness is constrained by low participation rates. Most non-screeners intend to screen but fail to do so, often procrastinating and forgetting to complete the screening kit. This study aimed to co-design interventio...

Purpose Caring for someone with cancer has a significant impact on usual routines, including caregivers' ability to maintain their own health and wellbeing. Caregivers living in rural areas face additional challenges in supporting someone with cancer, and little is known about the impact of caregiving on the health behaviors of rural caregivers. Th...

Objective To describe and synthesise information on the content and delivery of advance notifications (information about cancer screening delivered prior to invitation) used to increase cancer screening participation and to understand the mechanisms that may underlie their effectiveness. Methods Searches related to advance notification and cancer...

Following surgery, over 50% of cardiac surgery patients report anxiety, stress and/or depression, with at least 10% meeting clinical diagnoses, which can persist for more than a year. Psychological distress predicts post-surgery health outcomes for cardiac patients. Therefore, post-operative distress represents a critical recovery challenge affecti...

Purpose. A cancer diagnosis significantly impacts daily life, particularly for those living outside of major cities who must travel to receive cancer treatment. This study investigated the impact of cancer and travelling for treatment on the employment of rural cancer patients and their caregivers. Methods. Cancer patients staying in subsidised acc...

Purpose: Many people do not participate in mail-out bowel cancer screening programs due to difficulties using the screening kit. The current study investigated the ways the screening kit could be modified to improve usability. Methods: 1,109 people evaluated 15 different screening kit modifications. Participants reported on how these kit modific...

Objective: The success of national cancer screening programs, such as the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) in Australia, depends on public participation, which is currently an alarming 43.5% for the NBCSP. Understanding the barriers that impede screening participation requires valid measurement instruments. This study aims to cross-...

Objective: To better understand barriers to participation in mail-out bowel cancer screening programs, two survey studies tested the relationship between psychological distress and self-reported bowel cancer screening. Methods: First, a nationally representative sample of Australians N = 5421 completed measures of bowel cancer screening and psyc...

Health workforce shortages worldwide are approaching crisis point, further burdening systems already struggling to meet demand. Doctor attrition has been identified as a major contributor to this problem and therefore, the current study examined links between workload demands and stressors, and doctors’ commitment. Based on prior research and key p...

Purpose: It is crucial to understand the micro-level personal factors that impact farmer mental health help-seeking, given that farmers are at increased risk of suicide yet show reduced mental health help-seeking behaviors. Methods: Ten farmers, 10 farmers' partners, and 8 general practitioners (ie, family physicians) from Australia completed qu...

Introduction: When handover is conducted at the patient's bedside, active patient participation can be encouraged, which may improve the safety and quality of care. There is a need for valid and reliable tools to measure patient perceptions of participation in bedside handover, to ensure the rising number of implementation and improvement efforts...

Objective: To examine the relationships between need for control and self-reliance and barriers to bowel cancer screening to better understand the reasons for lower bowel cancer screening adherence in males and younger individuals. Methods: Participants (n = 506) aged between 54 and 75 years old completed an online survey measuring demographic i...

Objective: This study compares the well-being of rural caregivers with that of the general population and explores the potential drivers of poorer outcomes. Method: Patient-caregiver dyads (n = 241) residing in regional or remote Queensland, Australia, reported on QoL, chronic illness, caregiver burden, depression, anxiety and stress. Caregiver...

Objectives: Despite the widely publicised health benefits of participation in bowel cancer screening, only 43.5% of recipients participate in the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP). Through consultation with kit recipients, this study aimed to identify features of home bowel screening kits that could be modified to increase...

The present study aimed to provide the first psychometric evaluation of the newly developed, digitally animated assessment instrument: the Interactive Child Distress Screener ( ICDS). The latent factor structure of the novel ICDS was first established using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on 15 pairs of animated items using a community sample ( N...

Objective To describe the actions taken by recipients of mail-out faecal occult blood test (FOBT) kits and to identify the points at which progress towards kit completion typically stops. Differences according to gender, age, and screening intention were also examined. Methods 1599 people completed an online survey identifying the actions they too...

To accurately assess children’s emotional and behavioral distress via self-report, we must design instruments that are meaningful to them. This study was an essential first step in co-designing digitally animated assessment items for a new self-reported screening instrument for children: “name Blinded for Review”. Twenty children aged five to 11 ye...

Objective: As cancer survival rates continue to increase, so will the demand for care from family and friends, particularly in more isolated settings. This study aims to examine the needs of cancer caregivers in regional and remote Australia. Methods: A total of 239 informal (i.e., non-professional) cancer caregivers (e.g., family/friends) from...

Objective To develop and test a psychometric instrument for measuring common barriers to completing and returning home bowel cancer screening kits. Methods One hundred and ten items were reviewed by an expert panel (n=15) and presented in an online cross-sectional survey with 427 Australian adults. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify...

The suicide rate of farmers is approximately double that of the general Australian population, yet farmers employ fewer help-seeking behaviours (Arnautovska et al. in Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 49:593-599, 2014; Brew et al. in BMC Public Health 16:1-11, 2016). Therefore, it is crucial to understand if, and how health services and system mig...

Purpose The Interactive Child Distress Screener (ICDS) is a novel, digital screening tool that is currently under development and aims to broadly assess self-reported emotional and behavioural distress in children aged five to 11 years. This study implemented a generative participatory codesign and iterative refinement process to qualitatively vali...

Objectives: To measure rates of detection via screening, perceived self-imposed delays in seeking medical attention, and support seeking in a sample of regional and remote people with a cancer diagnosis and to test whether an association exists between these behaviours and minimising problems and resignation, a need for self-control and reliance a...

Objective To examine the health services experience of patients with cancer from regional and remote Australia using the Australian National Cancer Control Indicators (NCCI) guidelines as an assessment framework. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Queensland non-for-profit cancer accommodation lodges. Participants Participants were patients with ca...

Empathy is essential for social functioning and is relevant to a host of clinical conditions. This COSMIN review evaluated the empirical support for empathy self-report measures used with autistic and nonautistic adults. Given autism is characterized by social differences, it is the subject of a substantial proportion of empathy research. Therefore...

The longitudinal trends of screen time, a highly prevalent behavior in adolescents, are relatively unknown. This study examined longitudinal trends in screen time among a large sample of Australian primary school-aged children transitioning into secondary school-aged adolescence. Data were derived from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children...

Empathy is essential for social functioning and is relevant to a host of clinical conditions. This COSMIN review evaluated the empirical support for empathy self-report measures used with autistic and nonautistic adults. Given autism is characterized by social differences, it is the subject of a substantial proportion of empathy research. Therefore...

Objective: This study aimed to compare stress, burnout, stressors, and protective factors among regional- and metropolitan-based Australian medical doctors. Method: A mixed methods design was utilized with 252 Australian medical doctors completing an online questionnaire package. A subsample also completed qualitative interviews. Results: Stre...

Background: Given the substantive health inequalities in peri-urban communities and the potential for physical activity to promote health in these communities, identifying modifiable physical activity determinants in this population is important. This study explored effects of the peri-urban environment and psychological constructs on physical act...

Background: Population mail-out bowel screening programs are a convenient, cost-effective and sensitive method of detecting colorectal cancer (CRC). Despite the increased survival rates associated with early detection of CRC, in many countries, 50% or more of eligible individuals do not participate in such programs. The current study systematicall...

Objective: To assess the impact of demographic characteristics and masculinities on seeking support for psychosocial care needs in men with prostate cancer. Method: Prostate cancer survivors (n=225) completed mail-out surveys measuring psychological care needs, masculinities, and psychological and emotional help-seeking intention and behaviour a...

The aim of this study was to understand the ‘farming life’ factors that affect the mental health help‐seeking of farmers. Semi‐structured interviews were completed with 10 farmers, 10 farmers’ partners, and eight General Practitioners (GPs), covering mental health help‐seeking. Interview data were then analysed using thematic analysis resulting in...

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in regional and rural areas tend to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage than metropolitan patients and have poorer 5-year survival rates. Environmental and cultural factors in non-metropolitan areas often facilitate a more reactive approach to health care, which can result in lower participation in...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of patience in the relationship between mindfulness and pain among patients with cardiovascular disease. A cross-sectional design was employed. One hundred and ten patients with cardiovascular diseases were conveniently sampled from the clinic of Imam Reza in the city of Shiraz in I...

Introduction Australia has one of the highest incidence rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the world. Residents in rural areas of Australia experience disadvantage in health care and outcomes. This review investigates whether patients with CRC in rural areas demonstrate poorer survival and more advanced stages of disease at diagnosis. Methods Sys...

Despite the health and economic benefits associated with mail-out colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, participation in programs across the world is suboptimal. A letter from the recipient’s general practitioner (GP) endorsing program participation has been shown to have a consistent, but modest, effect on screening uptake; however, the mechanisms by...

Alcohol-linked sponsorship of sport represents a significant and growing investment as a popular strategy for brand communication. The current study confirms a relationship between exposure and hazardous consumption and provides insight into this relationship by examining the mediators responsible. Specifically, brand-image transfer (i.e., the mirr...

Issue addressed Residents of peri‐urban Australia face health inequalities compared to city dwellers. Active lifestyles provide many benefits that could improve the health of this population, however, peri‐urban Australians are more likely to be inactive and sedentary. The aim of this study was to identify the physical activity and sedentary behavi...

Background: Inner-regional Australians experience poorer health than their city-dwelling neighbours. Physical activity represents an effective preventive health strategy, however, 70% of inner-regional Australians are insufficiently active. The aims of this study were to understand the impact of the environmental and social context in inner-regiona...

Abstract Objectives The Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS) is a widely used instrument of state mindfulness. Research suggests the interpretation and functioning of mindfulness scale items may differ as a function of meditation experience, and thus, establishing invariance across experience levels is essential. Methods Five hundred and five meditat...

Abstract Objective Despite the increased risk of experiencing mental health concerns, particularly related to stress and burnout, psychological help‐seeking among medical doctors is typically low. This study examined the barriers to treatment experienced by doctors for stress and burnout‐related difficulties. Methods A mixed‐methods design was a...

Peri-urban Australians experience poorer health/wellbeing compared to residents of major cities. Physical activity is critical for health and wellbeing; however, 70% of this population are insufficiently active. Neither benefiting from the range of activity-conducive characteristics of major cities, nor the full consequences of extreme isolation in...

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the factors which health professionals believe influence clinical care and outcomes for people with cancer in regional areas of Australia. Methods: Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with a variety of health professionals. Interview questions explored health professional's perspectives on barri...

Increasing attention is being paid to how adults on the autism spectrum perceive and interpret the interoceptive sense. This 20-item Interoception Sensory Questionnaire represents a single factor scale that can be interpreted as representing confusion about interoceptive bodily states unless these states are extreme (Alexisomia), and has been desig...

Background: Population mail-out bowel screening programs are a convenient, cost-effective and sensitive method of detecting colorectal cancer (CRC). Despite increased survival rates associated with early detection of CRC, in many countries 50% or more of eligible individuals do not participate in such programs, resulting in a substantial amount of...

Background: Utilization of health services is thought to vary between urban and nonurban residents. In Australia, colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in peri-urban and rural areas tend to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage than their urban counterparts and have poorer 5 year survival rates. Aim: In this study, we investigate the effect that attitud...

BACKGROUND: In Australia, cancer survival is significantly lower in non-metropolitan compared to metropolitan areas. Our objective was to evaluate the evidence on geographical variations in the clinical management and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: A systematic review of published and gray literature was conducted. Five databases (C...

Background: Cancer specialists working in rural and regional Australia may experience unique difficulties when compared with their metropolitan counterparts, as they often have higher workloads, spend longer hours in clinical practice, and experience professional and social isolation. Previous research has identified accessibility and distance from...

Background: Geographical disparity in colorectal cancer (CRC) survival rates may be partly due to aging populations and disadvantage in more remote locations; factors that also impact the incidence and outcomes of other chronic health conditions. The current study investigates whether geographic disparity exists amongst previously diagnosed health...

Issue addressed: Australians living in peri-urban areas are insufficiently active, sedentary and experience poorer health than people in major cities. There are health benefits attributable to active lifestyles that could contribute to the improved health and well-being of this population. To support the adoption of active lifestyles, it is import...

The 10-item Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) was developed to measure individual differences in the tendency to use two common emotion regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal and suppression. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the ERQ in a heterogeneous mixed sample of 713 (64.9% female) community residents using t...

Background: In Australia, cancer survival is significantly lower in non-metropolitan compared to metropolitan areas. Our objective was to evaluate the evidence on geographical variations in the clinical management and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: A systematic review of published and grey literature was conducted. Five databases (...

The importance of self-regulation in human behavior is readily apparent and diverse theoretical accounts for explaining self-regulation failures have been proposed. Typically, these accounts are based on a sequential task methodology where an initial task is presented to deplete self-regulatory resources, and carryover effects are then examined on...

Background: Early identification of child emotional and behavioral concerns is essential for the prevention of mental health problems; however, few suitable child-reported screening measures are available. Digital tools offer an exciting opportunity for obtaining clinical information from the child’s perspective. Objective: The aim of this study wa...

Establishing the internal validity of psychometric instruments is an important research priority, and is especially vital for instruments that are used to collect data to guide public policy decisions. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) is a well-established and widely-used instrument for assessing individual differences in well...

ABSTRACTThis paper presents evidence from a nationally representative sample of early career teachers about those likely to miss out on formal support, and the employment conditions associated with this absence of support. It uses survey data from the Staff in Australia?s Schools Survey. Consistent with existing research, our results suggest a rela...

Background: Despite evidence that e-mental health services are effective, consumer preferences still appear to be in favor of face-to-face services. However, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) suggests that cognitive intentions are more proximal to behavior and thus may have a more direct influence on service use. Investigating individual charac...

The 10-item Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) was developed to measure individual differences in the tendency to use two common emotion regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal and suppression. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the ERQ in a heterogeneous mixed sample of 713 (64.9% female) community residents using t...

Objective: To examine if geographic variations in the participation rates in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) are related to population-level socio-demographic characteristics. Methods: Data reflecting participation in the NBCSP for 504 Local Government Areas (LGAs) between July 2011 and June 2013 were extracted from the Socia...

Current research into self-control that is based on the sequential task methodology is currently at an impasse. The sequential task methodology involves completing a task that is designed to tax self-control resources which in turn has carry-over effects on a second, unrelated task. The current impasse is in large part due to the lack of empirical...

Background: Occupational stress and burnout are highly prevalent among doctors, with stigma identified as a barrier to help-seeking in this population. However, there has been a lack of a standardised tool to measure stigma of occupational stress and burnout among doctors. Aims: The aim of the current study was to develop and investigate the psycho...

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of an Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy program (I-CBT) for the treatment of problem gambling, when compared to a waitlist control and an active comparison condition consisting of monitoring, feedback, and support (I-MFS). Participants (N = 174) were randomly allocated to the three co...

Background: The validity of instruments is crucial in ensuring that data collected are sound and that these data represents what the instrument claims to measure. When an instrument is revised or used in a different population it is useful to re-examine its construct validity. Aim: To test the psychometrics properties of an instrument - the revi...

Concerns surround the association between alcohol advertising and alcohol consumption amongst audiences. Research has examined the link in broadcast sports, yet limited attention is directed towards newer media. This paper examines whether there is a link between alcohol sponsorship in sports games and alcohol brand recall, recognition and choice,...

Background Occupational stress and burnout are highly prevalent among medical doctors and can have adverse effects on patient, doctor, and organisational outcomes. The purpose of the current study was to review and evaluate evidence on psychosocial interventions aimed at reducing occupational stress and burnout among medical doctors. Method A syst...

This program of research identified psychological, social and geographical determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in inner-regional Australia.

The aim of this study was to examine the psycho-social determinants of active living in inner-regional Australia, through the identification of beliefs, barriers and facilitators of physical activity and sedentary behaviour.

Introduction: Stress and burnout are highly prevalent among medical doctors, and are associated with negative consequences for doctors, patients, and organizations. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of a mindfulness training intervention in reducing stress and burnout among medical practitioners, by means of a Random...

Aim: Emotion regulation (ER) theories and measurement scales have received considerable attention in clinical and research settings. However, there is a need for independent validation of these scales to ensure rigor within this field. The aim of the current study was to examine the factorial, convergent, and criterion validity of one of the most p...

Background Australia and New Zealand have the highest incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the world, presenting considerable health, economic, and societal burden. Over a third of the Australian population live in regional areas and research has shown they experience a range of health disadvantages that result in a higher disease burden and low...

Determining the impact of sport sponsorship by alcohol companies has been identified as a priority research concern (World Health Organization, 2014). Despite the vast investment and potential risks, there is almost no sport sponsorship-specific research examining how the choice and behavior of one sponsorship partner affects consumer attitude towa...

The aim of this study was to examine the association between alcohol consumption, alcohol sponsorship in sports and preferences of sponsored sportspeople regarding sponsorships/consumption. We investigate the impact of alcohol sponsorship on sportspeople in the Australian population using a national survey of sportspeople (N = 2367), representing a...