Moira O'Connor

Curtin University · Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI)

We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to determine the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing weight bias in healthcare students, and to explore factors that may impact intervention success. A systematic review and random‐effects meta‐analyses were conducted by including studies that examined the efficacy of weight bias reduction...

Background: Siblings of children with cancer have been shown to experience disruption in multiple domains including family, school, and friendships. Existing literature on siblings’ experiences focuses on older children or on a broad range of ages. Aim: To explore the experience of siblings aged 8–12 years when their brother or sister is diagnosed...

Background Approximately 770 children are diagnosed with cancer in Australia every year. Research has explored their experiences and developed recommendations for improving support provided to families. These have included the provision of psychology services, improved communication between healthcare professionals and parents, and increased inform...

(1) Background: A significant proportion of cancer survivors report experiencing a cognitive ‘fog’ that affects their ability to think coherently and quickly, and reason with clarity. This has been referred to as cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). CRCI has extensive impacts on the daily lives of people living with or beyond cancer, includi...

A significant proportion of cancer survivors will experience some form of mental health compromise across domains including mood, anxiety, psychosis, eating disorders, and substance use. This psychopathology within cancer survivors is related to a range of negative outcomes and can also have a substantial negative impact on quality of life. Along w...

Introduction The currently accepted best practice radiation treatment for left breast cancer patients is Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) where patients hold a deep breath to reduce late cardiac and pulmonary effects from treatment. DIBH can be challenging and induce or exacerbate anxiety in patients due to the perceived pressure to reduce radia...

Background Infants with life-limiting conditions are a heterogeneous population. Palliative care for infants is delivered in a diverse range of healthcare settings and by interdisciplinary primary healthcare teams, which may not involve specialist palliative care service consultation. Objective To synthesise the literature for how palliative care...

A child’s cancer diagnosis has a significant impact on the lives of grandparents. Grandparents experience the stress of worrying about both their adult children and their grandchildren. Our study aimed to explore the lived experience of grandparents of children diagnosed with cancer. A qualitative design involving semi-structured interviews was use...

Many cancer survivors experience cognitive impairments that impact memory, concentration, speed of information processing, and decision making. These impairments, collectively known as cancer-related cognitive impairments (CRCIs), are a key domain of unmet needs and can significantly impact a cancer survivor’s identity and quality of life. However,...

The aim of this study was to examine the suitability of the Beliefs About Obese Persons Scale (BAOP) and Antifat Attitudes Questionnaire (AFA) among Australian health care students. Specifically, we explored the factor structures of the two scales, their psychometric properties including internal consistency and convergent validity, and whether the...

End-of-life Goals of Care (GoC) discussions aim to support care that is consistent with patients’ preferences and values. This study uses an exploratory qualitative design drawing upon a social constructivist epistemology to examine family carers’ perspectives on GoC within acute Australian hospital settings. Twenty-five family carers of aging inpa...

Cancer patients’ children are vulnerable to psychosocial and behavioural issues. The mechanisms underlying how children are affected by their parent’s diagnosis are unknown, warranting further research. This study investigated how children are affected by their parent’s cancer diagnosis and provides a theoretical model conceptualising this experien...

University students have been identified as a population sub-group vulnerable to food insecurity. This vulnerability increased in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess factors associated with food insecurity among university students and the differences between students with and without children. A cross-sectional survey of...

Introduction Community rates of Advance Care Planning (ACP) remain low. Eighty-five percent of Australians believe in the importance of discussing their end-of-life care preferences, however, only one third of Australians have had a conversation with family members. Advance Directive/Advance Health Directive completion rates are even lower; 14% for...

Background Weight bias exhibited by health care students may continue into their future practice, compromising the provision of care that people living with overweight or obesity receive. This highlights the need to comprehensively examine the extent to which weight bias is present among health care students and the factors that may be associated w...

Background: Weight bias exhibited by health care students may continue into their future practice, compromising the provision of care that people living with overweight or obesity receive. This highlights the need to comprehensively examine the extent to which weight bias is present among health care students and the factors that may be associated...

More women are returning to work following breast cancer treatment. Our team designed ‘Beyond Cancer’, a multimodal rehabilitation program to support breast cancer survivors to return to work. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of the intervention from the breast cancer survivor, employer and occupational rehabilitation provider perspect...

Research has shown differences in how fathers and mothers respond to a child’s cancer diagnosis. Previous studies have highlighted that sociocultural norm shape fathers’ experiences of their child’s cancer diagnosis. Our phenomenological qualitative study aimed to examine the lived experiences of fathers whose children have been diagnosed with canc...

Background: Children living with parental cancer are at an increased risk for various psychosocial, emotional, and behavioural problems. However, research regarding how children are affected by their parent's diagnosis is still developing and patients' children are typically invisible in clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate how child...

Advance Care Planning involves having conversations, completing documents detailing individuals’ end-of life treatment and care preferences, and appointing legal proxies who make health, lifestyle, or financial decisions. Although beneficial outcomes have been demonstrated, community rates of Advance Care Planning remain low. We developed a theoret...

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors who returned to valued activities to understand how they reconstruct their lives following HNC diagnosis and treatment. Methods: A qualitative research approach based on social constructionist theory was used. A total of 21 in-depth semi...

Purpose To characterise the care management trajectories of infants with life-limiting conditions, who died before 12 months, including clinical decision-making processes, identification of triggers that led to changes in care management from cure-orientated to palliative care and specialist palliative care team involvement. Design and methods Ret...

Assisted dying refers to the steps of the administration of a voluntary assisted dying substance and the administration of the substance. In Australia, assisted dying is now legal in all states. However, there is limited knowledge of what underpins the community’s attitudes toward assisted dying. It is important for health professionals to understa...

Mothers of children diagnosed with cancer have been shown to experience high rates of psychological distress and poor physical health. Pregnancy further increases the healthcare needs of mothers due to the marked physiological changes and psychological adaptations. Our study aimed to explore the experiences of mothers who were pregnant and/or had a...

Every year in Australia, ~770 children aged under 15 years of age are diagnosed with cancer. Due to the increasing incidence and survival rates of paediatric cancer more families are contending with life post-childhood cancer. Research has demonstrated that mothers of children with cancer experience significant psychological distress. Our study exp...

Background People with advanced cancer often experience greater physical and psychosocial morbidity compared to those with early disease. Limited research has focused on their experiences within the Australian health system. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of adults receiving care for advanced cancer. Methods A qualitati...

Implementing evidence-based and cost-effective bereavement care is a challenge. A self-report measure could assist to identify caregivers at-risk of prolonged grief. We developed a new measure via five steps: identification of risk and protective factors for prolonged grief, item generation, consultation with an expert panel (n = 8), review by the...

Introduction Cancers that originate from the upper aerodigestive tract are collectively known as head and neck cancer. The most common are squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx, larynx, and oral cavity. Head and neck cancer patients experience significant physical and psychological changes because of the disease and treatment. There is a subst...

Background Improving diet quality has been shown to be an effective way to improve health and well-being. Yet information on how to assist those wanting to transition to and maintain a healthier diet is still limited. The aim of this study was to explore what motivated people to initiate and maintain a healthy diet. Methods Semi-structured intervi...

Objectives The objective of this qualitative study was to explore patients’ experiences of communicating with health professionals following a diagnosis of head and neck cancer (HNC). Methods A qualitative research approach based on social constructionist theory was used. A total of 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with people...

Introduction COVID-19 has had far-reaching impacts including changes in work, travel, social structures, education, and healthcare. Objective This study aimed to explore the experiences of parents of children receiving treatment for cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Parents whose children were currently in treatment for childhood cance...

Voluntary assisted dying (VAD) is when a terminally ill person with decision-making capacity consensually ends their life with assistance from an authorised professional. Many countries have legalised VAD, and health professionals’ roles within VAD frameworks are varied. Health professionals must be well informed of their legal obligations to ensur...

Objective Weight-biased attitudes and views held by health care professionals can have a negative impact on the patient-provider relationship and the provision of care, but studies have found mixed results about the extent and nature of bias, which warrants a review of the evidence. Methods A systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis were...

Sarcoma is a rare cancer that has a significant impact on patients’ and carers’ quality of life. Despite this, there has been a paucity of research exploring the diverse experiences of patients and carers following sarcoma treatment. The aim of this study was to explore patients’ and carers’ reflections on life after treatment for sarcoma. A qualit...

Purpose: Preparation for head and neck cancer treatment is focused on practicalities of treatment. Little or no time is spent prior to treatment discussing aesthetic results of treatment or the psychosocial impact of living with an altered appearance after treatment. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of survivors of head a...

Sarcomas are a group of rare and aggressive cancers, which develop in bones and connective tissue throughout the body. Sarcomas account for only 1–2% of all cancers worldwide; however, mortality rates for sarcoma are high with approximately two in four sarcoma patients dying following a diagnosis. Delays in diagnosis, poor management of symptoms, p...

Background: Health professionals who care for patients and their families at the end of life (EOL) may experience gratitude, and enhanced spirituality and meaning in life, yet they are also at increased risk of psychological distress, compassion fatigue, and occupational burnout given the stressors they encounter in their work. Objectives: This re...

Objective Sarcoma is a rare cancer that may result in reduced mobility, social isolation, poorer mental health, and ongoing medical issues for patients. Family carers play a crucial role in supporting patients throughout their sarcoma journey. Despite the aggressive and debilitating nature of the disease the unmet needs of these carers are yet to b...

Background Patients diagnosed with sarcoma experience complex treatment pathways and unmet needs. The Sarcoma Clinical Nurse Consultant position was recently established in Western Australia to improve the quality of patient care. As this role is new in Western Australia and nationally, research is required to understand the duties, benefits, and g...

Objective Studies in countries where assisted dying is legal show that bereaved people express concern over the potential for social disapproval and social stigma because of the manner of death. There are indications that voluntary assisted dying is judged as less acceptable if the deceased is younger. A vignette-based experiment was used to determ...

Background: Despite a growth in palliative care services, access and referral patterns are inconsistent and only a minority of people who would benefit from such care receive it. Use of palliative care is also affected by community attitudes toward palliative care. As such, determining community attitudes toward palliative care is crucial. We also...

Background: Goals of care (GOC) is a communication and decision-making process that occurs between a clinician and a patient (or surrogate decision-maker) during an episode of care to facilitate a plan of care that is consistent with the patient's preferences and values. Little is known about patients' experiences of these discussions. Objective:...

Objective Dignity therapy is a life review intervention shown to reduce distress and enhance the quality of life for people with a terminal illness and their families. Dignity therapy is not widely used in clinical practice because it is time and cost prohibitive. This pilot study examined the feasibility and acceptability of dignity therapy delive...

Objective: How children are affected by their parent's diagnosis is limited in the literature, and children are typically not considered in current clinical practice. Despite suggestion that the patient's oncology team are well placed to support their children, this is yet to be sufficiently explored. This study aimed to explore how oncology healt...

Objective Receiving a diagnosis of head and neck cancer is devastating for patients and family carers and causes high levels of distress. Previous studies report that carer distress levels exceed that of patients, but go largely unnoticed by health professionals. To date, there is a paucity of studies that have described carers’ perspectives of the...

Background: Prolonged diagnosis intervals occur more often in rare cancers, such as sarcoma. Patients with a delayed diagnosis may require more radical surgery and have a reduced chance of survival. Previous research has focused on quantifying the time taken to achieve a diagnosis without exploring the reasons for potential delays. The aim of this...

Objective Patients are often anxious and lack knowledge of radiotherapy prior to commencing treatment. Evidence‐based interventions are required to reduce patient anxiety and increase patient preparation before treatment. This study is part of a larger project examining the effectiveness of an innovative preparatory intervention “RT Prepare,” to re...

Objective Sarcoma is a rare cancer that imposes a significant burden on the lives of patients. Many survivors have long‐term disability as a result of treatment and the disease. Patients often experience functional issues, poorer mental health, reduced quality of life, and interpersonal issues. There is a need to explore the unmet needs of sarcoma...

Background: Despite the body of literature regarding the varying definition of compassion, there appears a lack of literature pertaining to the meaning of compassion from the perspective of health care professionals working in palliative care settings. Objective: The study aimed to explore how health care professionals working in palliative care s...

Background: Interviews are a common method of data collection in palliative care research because they facilitate the gathering of rich, experiential data that are important for theory and practice. What is less clear is the extent to which those interviewed are representative of the larger group. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine...

Purpose: With a substantial increase in the population of cancer survivors of working age, issues concerning sustainable employment must be addressed. The health benefits of work are well established; however, the lack of support to transition back to work is a gap in survivorship care. Researchers, occupational rehabilitation and insurance sector...

Introduction With more women working and surviving breast cancer, issues concerning sustainable employment must be addressed. Support to transition back to work is a gap in survivorship care. This paper describes the feasibility trial protocol for ‘Beyond Cancer’, a multimodal occupational rehabilitation programme to support breast cancer survivors...

Background Determining the effect of caregiving and bereavement remains a challenge. To date, no study has employed a comparison group to investigate caregivers’ grief, quality of life and general health in relation to non-caregivers. Aim We aimed to determine how caregivers’ grief, quality of life and general health changed following death compar...

Background: Despite a growth in palliative care services, access and referral patterns are inconsistent and only a minority of people who would benefit from such care receive it. Use of palliative care is also affected by community attitudes toward palliative care. As such, determining community attitudes toward palliative care is crucial. We also...

Objective: Children living with parental cancer are vulnerable to distress and developmental disruption. This review aims to identify current interventions to support cancer patients' children and summarise how effective these are based on children's reports. Methods: Between 25 May 2015 and 6 August 2018, a broad search strategy was used to ide...

Review question/objective(s): This review aims to identify and synthesize the best qualitative evidence on the experiences of Chinese immigrants receiving palliative care in their country of residence where the culture is predominantly western, and the experiences of their family carers. Introduction: The recent increase in international immigra...

Objectives Prolonged grief disorder is associated with significant distress and impairment and thus efforts to improve treatments are essential. The present pilot study tested the efficacy and feasibility of group Metacognitive Grief Therapy (MCGT) designed specifically for prolonged grief symptomatology to reduce the psychological distress and imp...

Background: There is a wealth of research on motives for alcohol consumption among young people. However, little is known about motives to avoid alcohol in this population. Objectives: The study purpose was to explore what influences young adults' decisions to avoid alcohol and their motives to avoid alcohol. Methods: Face-to-face, semi-struct...

Objective Radiation therapy (RT) is a cornerstone for management of pediatric cancer. For younger patients, unintended radiation to critical organs is a concern and children need to remain immobile. Distress in children is common so many centres sedate pediatric patients. Children often are unable to remain still, due to anxiety. Interventions to r...

Background: The aims of this study were to determine whether a radiation therapist-led patient education intervention (RT Prepare) reduced breasts cancer patients' psychological distress (primary endpoint); anxiety, depression and concerns about radiotherapy, and increased knowledge of radiotherapy and preparedness (secondary endpoints). Patient h...

Purpose: To explore the barriers and experiences of accessing information for women who have received genetic risk assessment/testing results for breast cancer (BC) and are considering a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (BPM) and, exploring participants' preferences concerning information and support needs. Methods: A qualitative retrospective...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the influences on satisfaction with reconstructed breasts and intimacy following bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (BPM) in younger women (< 35) with a strong family history of breast cancer. Methods: Twenty-six women who had undergone BPM between 1 and6 years ago were recruited from New Zealand and...

There are approximately 350,000 young carers in Australia, yet their experience is not well understood. Young carers face adversities and disenfranchisement by being a young person in a caring role, and the role can affect other areas of their lives. We explored the lived experiences of young carers, aged 14–25 years (N = 13), from Western Australi...

Introduction: Dignity therapy is an end-of-life psychological intervention that focuses on the creation of a legacy document to alleviate end-of-life distress. Dignity therapy is based on an empirical model of dignity at the end of life. Research on dignity therapy has been ongoing for over 12 years in 11 countries, which has created a solid empiri...

Objective: This study explored whether psychological consultation offered to women prior to bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (BPM) appeared to provide psychosocial benefit to younger women (<35 years) at high risk of developing breast cancer due to a mutation or family history. Methods: Qualitative interviews guided by interpretative phenomenol...

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the influences on decision-making of younger women (<35) undergoing or considering bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (BPM). Methods: Qualitative interviews guided by interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) were conducted with forty-six women who had a strong family history of breast ca...

The current study investigated the role of cognitive, affective, and behavioural information in the prediction of overall attitudes towards asylum seekers. A sample of 98 Australian adults participated in an online self-report questionnaire where participants generated their cognitive, affective, and behavioural factors towards asylum seekers and t...

Aim To explore the: 1) prevalence of distress, type of problems experienced by haematological patients, and referrals for supportive care; 2) effect of demographic and clinical variables on distress, and 3) effect on the time of health professionals conducting the screening in the ambulatory chemotherapy setting. Methods Participants completed the...

Background: People with motor neurone disease (MND) face barriers when accessing palliative care. There is a lack of research about how these barriers affect the end-of-life (EOL) and death experiences of people with MND. Aim: This study examined the perceptions of EOL experiences of family carers of people with MND in Western Australia (WA) to...

Purpose: People diagnosed with cancer from rural and remote locations may experience heightened distress because of distance from cancer treatment and support services. We examined whether remoteness and other factors are associated with psychosocial distress and explored commonly reported problems among cancer patients in Western Australia (WA)....

Introduction: Patients sometimes present for radiation therapy with high levels of anxiety. Communication skills training may assist radiation therapists to conduct more effective consultations with patients prior to treatment planning and treatment commencement. The overall aim of our research is to examine the effectiveness of a preparatory prog...

Abstract Introduction Studies of effective psychotherapy for individuals suffering from the effects of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) are scarce. This paper describes the protocol for an evaluation of a metacognitive therapy programme designed specifically for PGD, to reduce the psychological distress and loss of functioning resulting from bereave...

The aim of the current study is to determine the effects of caregiving on bereavement outcome. The study will address two important gaps in the research literature: (1) the relationship between pre-death distress and post-death outcomes and (2) family caregivers' anticipation and preparation of the death of the person for whom they care. We will co...

Palliative care standards advocate support for grieving caregivers, given that some bereaved people fail to integrate their loss, experience ongoing emotional suffering and adverse health outcomes. Research shows that bereavement support tends to be delivered on an ad hoc basis without formal assessment of risk or need. To align support with need,...

Radiation therapists (RTs) plan and deliver radiotherapy treatment for patients diagnosed with cancer. They need to communicate regularly with their patients and may have a role to play in reducing patient anxiety and distress. The objectives were to explore how the environment of radiotherapy departments supports or inhibits communication generall...

Palliative care standards and policies recommend that bereavement support be provided to family caregivers, yet uncertainty surrounds whether support currently offered by palliative care services throughout developed countries meets caregiver needs. The public health model of bereavement support, which aligns bereavement support needs with interven...

Palliative care is expected to incorporate comprehensive support for family caregivers given that many caregivers suffer psychological morbidity. However, systematically implemented evidence-based psychological support initiatives are lacking. The objective of this study was to prepare caregivers for the role of supporting a patient with advanced c...

This editorial explores ways of providing support to patients undergoing radiation therapy. We highlight the importance of preparing patients and their families for radiation therapy. We also emphasise that patients with children need to be supported and be given advice on communicating with their children. Survivorship and treatment follow‐up are...

WHILE IT IS GENERALLY RECOGNISED that early childhood programs play an important role in increasing positive outcomes for children, families and society, there is very little research on the Australian playgroup experience and its role in providing support for mothers and addressing identity issues. The research aimed to fill this gap by asking why...