Bengianni Pizzirani’s research while affiliated with Monash University (Australia) and other places

Purpose This systematic review is a 5-year update of a previously conducted review on the longitudinal predictors of domestic violence perpetration and victimization. This review adopted the term ‘Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)’ to align with current literature and addressed two aims: to identify any novel longitudinal risk factors since the previous review, and to determine if a distinction could be drawn between risk factors for perpetration and victimization (a limitation identified by the previous review). Methods Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria of prospectively investigating childhood/adolescent predictors (prior to age 18) for adulthood IPV perpetration and victimization. Peer-reviewed papers were identified via the following databases in November 2020: MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, SocINDEX, EMBASE, and Scopus. Study quality was assessed using the Cambridge Quality Checklists. Results Consistent with the previous review, child and adolescent abuse, family of origin risks, child and adolescent behavioral problems, and adolescent peer risks were identified as significant predictors of IPV perpetration and victimization. The current review, however, adds nuance to these findings, identifying potential moderating and/or mediating factors and additional risk factors, including mental health and cultural and attitudinal risks. Conclusion This review re-emphasizes the importance of developmental risk factors for adulthood IPV perpetration and victimization, and their role in prevention and intervention efforts.

To lose one’s sense of what it means to be human reflects a profound form of loss. Recent research in the study of dehumanization highlights that the loss of humanness can be experienced at the hands of close others. Moreover, acts of dehumanization can take many forms in close relationships. In this paper, we review the emerging literature on the study of dehumanization within interpersonal relationships, placing a specific emphasis on adult romantic relationships. We situate our review of the literature within a newly developed model of interpersonal dehumanization. This model outlines how many destructive relationship behaviors reflect forms of dehumanization, which can result in a vast array of personal and relational losses.

Data from the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation (MLSRA) were utilized to provide the first investigation into the early childhood antecedents of dehumanization (i.e., treating another as less than human) in adult romantic relationships. Drawing on a sample of 109 MLSRA participants, multiple assessments of maternal care and empathy were collected during infancy and early childhood. In adulthood, MLSRA participants and their romantic partners engaged in video recorded conflict discussions in which dehumanization perpetration was coded. Maternal hostility was a significant and unique predictor of dehumanization perpetration. This longitudinal association remained even when controlling for the partner’s displays of dehumanization and several demographic covariates. This study provides the first evidence of early childhood antecedents of dehumanization and highlights how experiences during the first few years of life can have enduring downstream consequences for people’s romantic relationships 20–30 years later.

This research was undertaken on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to Elders of the past, present and emerging, and also acknowledge the generous contribution to this research made by women and their families and Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) staff. Aboriginal Cradle to Kinder (AC2K) is a home-visiting and advocacy programme focussed on promoting Aboriginal maternal and child health during both pre- and postnatal stages of parenthood which was delivered by VACCA, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation. While there have been some feasibility assessments conducted on AC2K, no study to date has evaluated the impact of this programme from the perspective of neither the women nor the staff who deliver the programme. The aim of this study, therefore, was to evaluate how both the women and the staff evaluated the AC2K programme, namely the strengths, limitations and recommendations of the programme. Through consultation with VACCA, this study used a qualitative approach using interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the processes underpinning the programme coupled with participants’ experiences of the programme. A co-design process was used in the development of interview questions, and a total of seven women and six workers participated in semi-structured interviews. The results revealed three superordinate themes across both participant groups: cultural connection (i.e. how well the programme facilitates cultural connection), system complexities (i.e. caseloads, staff turnover and child protection [CP] difficulties) and programme features (i.e. parenting enhancement and unique programme benefits). The processes, and the programme more broadly, were evaluated positively by both the women and staff who supported its delivery. Specifically, a greater connection to culture, increased parenting skills and unique programme benefits were reported. However, there were recommendations on how the programme could be further strengthened, including negotiable caseloads with the Department and improved partnership with CP. These changes can help to further improve the experiences of both the women and their workers when engaging in Aboriginal specific maternal health and well-being supports.

Background: Since 2014, Tasmania, Australia has experienced unprecedented rates of hospitalisations related to mental-health issues. To address reliance on such acute-based care, government funding was invested into enhancing community- based care, which in turn, led to the development of MyCare. This paper represents the initial phase of a larger body of work (i.e., effectiveness-controlled trial of MyCare) which describes the MyCare program and the successful implementation strategy underpinning the program. Methods: The implementation of MyCare was evaluated with 41 key stakeholders (i.e., staff, clients, and senior executives) using semi-structured interviews and focus group sessions, informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Results: According to stakeholders, three CFIR constructs that were directly addressed by the program, Tension for Change, Evidence Strength and Quality, and Available Resources for Implementation, facilitated the successful implementation of MyCare. In contrast, a feature of the program that impeded upon implementation was Patient Needs and Resources, which restricted program access to those with the most severe mental health issues. Conclusions: Ordinarily, the reporting of implementation strategies underpinning mental health programs is extremely rare. This study is novel in that it describes the implementation strategy underpinning a community-based mental health program that was successful in facilitating program uptake. Not only do we encourage other researchers to report on implementation findings, which may help to avoid replication failure, but to also apply these innovative implementation processes (i.e., address the tension for change, ensure program is evidence informed and sufficient resources are available for implementation) within mental health programs to aide in successful uptake.

There are strong imperatives for young people living in out-of-home care (OoHC) to exercise their right to participate in health-related decision making and health care practices to foster better health outcomes. This systematic review aimed to explore if and how the voices of young people in OoHC are represented in research examining their health. Studies published in the prior 15 years that examined the health needs and/or health status of young people living in OoHC were included. A total of 39 studies met the inclusion criteria. Of these, only three studies involved directly interviewing young people about their perspectives on what health means to them. The remaining studies relied on carers’ reports or self-report questionnaires that primarily examined prevalence of specific mental illnesses or other health conditions. This review showed that the voices of young people in OoHC have been underrepresented in research examining their health and health care needs. The adoption of new research designs to better incorporate young people’s perspectives of health matters appears warranted to better explore the unique health needs of this population.

From 2012 to 2014, we developed and subsequently evaluated the Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) intervention—an obesity prevention and healthy lifestyle program designed for young people living in residential out-of-home care (OoHC). Based on quantitative (i.e., a randomised trial) and qualitative (i.e., semi-structured interviews) data and an iterative process of redevelopment, the program has evolved from taking a behavioural obesity prevention approach to now being underpinned by a trauma-informed care approach at a systems level. In this paper we outline the theoretical and empirical foundations of the HEALing Matters intervention that is currently being implemented at scale. In addition, we outline how our knowledge translation framework informed the iterative improvement of our intervention with a focus on stakeholder and end-user engagement, partnership, and codesign along the way. IMPLICATIONS • There is a strong need for trauma-responsive health-focused programs and interventions within OoHC contexts. • HEALing Matters addresses the need for trauma-informed approaches that encourage health behaviour change in young people living in OoHC. • Policy, standards, and recommendations must not only acknowledge, but prioritise, the impact of trauma on health-related lifestyle behaviours in order to identify strategies to help address this impact.

Purpose: To describe the process and outcomes of services or products co-produced with patients in hospital settings. Data sources: Database searches on Medline, CINAHL and Business Source between 2008 and 2019. Study selection: Studies that evaluate the products of co-production in hospital settings. Data extraction: Primary outcome is the individual and organizational outcomes resulting from co-production. Study characteristics, co-production process, level of engagement and intensity of engagement were also extracted. Results of data synthesis: A total of 13 studies were included. Types of co-produced outputs were health services and care processes, tools and resources, and technology-based products, such as mobile application. Most studies engaged patients at a consultative or involvement level, with only four studies engaging patients as partners. Moderate-to-high acceptability and usability by patients and health services were reported for co-produced outputs. Organizational outcomes were also reported qualitatively as producing various positive effects, such as improved communication and diagnostic process. Positive patient outcomes were reported for co-produced outputs in qualitative (e.g. improved social support) and quantitative results (e.g. reduction of clinic wait time). No patient clinical outcomes were reported. Conclusion: Co-produced outputs have moderate-to-high acceptability, usability or uptake. There is insufficient evidence on other organizational or patient outcomes due to the lack of reporting of outcomes in co-production. Future research should focus on the outcomes (i.e. effects on patients and health service providers), not just the output of co-production. This is critical to provide feedback to advance the knowledge and implementation of co-production.

Despite the emergence of research into interpersonal dehumanization, there has been little by way of empirical investigation of the phenomenon within the context of romantic relationships. To address this, we introduce and validate the Dehumanization in Romantic Relationships Scale (DIRRS), a self-report measure of dehumanization perpetration and targeting within close relationships. In Study 1 (N = 1251, M age = 25.35, SD = 6.03), confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the dimensionality of interpersonal dehumanization may be more nuanced than first thought. Specifically, a four factor first-order structure [comprised of factors that relate to denials of human uniqueness (i.e., immature and unrefined) and human nature (i.e., exploitable and emotionless) was found to be the best fit to the data]. These results were replicated on a different sample in Study 2 (N = 847, M age = 23.40, SD = 6.43)—in addition to the assessment of criterion-related validity. Study 3 (N = 328, M age = 23.40, SD = 6.43) cross-validated the criterion-related validity reported in Study 2, and in addition, highlights that dehumanization is also associated with emotional and physical abuse. This research extends theory on interpersonal dehumanization and provides an empirically validated measure to reliably assess the occurrence of dehumanization within romantic relationships.

Despite clear priority and high costs of leadership capability programs in healthcare, and significant investments into improving clinical leadership, there remains a prominent gap around evidence of effectiveness or impact on patient outcomes in Australia. We aimed to conduct a systematic review on postgraduate clinical leadership programs to gather learnings on the processes, theoretical underpinnings, and impact of such programs for medical and other health professionals. Our search included empirical, peer‐reviewed evaluations of Australian clinical leadership development programs published between November 2008 and March 2019 and yielded 3284 records. Four studies met criteria. Findings revealed that currently, little value is placed on formal evaluations and peer reviewed publication including assessment of individual, organisational or system level impacts of clinical leadership development programs, with limited evidence available on effective approaches to clinical leadership development in the Australian healthcare system. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.