Journal articles on the topic 'Medical students Australia Psychology'

Australian medical students ( N = 645) were asked at the beginning of their training to rank the importance of a list of motivations relevant to their choice of medicine as a career. Both male and female students ranked the desire to help others as the most important motivation, closely followed by the scientific nature and the intellectual challenge of the profession of medicine. Both genders rated considerations of status and prestige as of low importance. These findings are similar to surveys from other countries chat have reported altruism and intellectual challenge as prime motivations for both genders.

As Australian medical educators become more accustomed to the increasing pressures imposed upon them, there is a risk that the traditional educational relationship between a student and his or her teacher is replaced by a pure transactional relationship between a customer and his or her supplier. A large sample of medical students surveyed revealed that medical students seem to value directed rather than independent learning. New approaches to teaching, such as being innovative or entertaining, as well as facilitating participation, do not appear to be very important to medical students. Medical students do not seem to have strong preferences when it comes to assessment, contradicting some of the fundamental suggestions of the recent educational literature, in which assessment is often viewed as a key element in the formation and the direction of learning. The fact that medical students seem to reject many of the paradigms of the psychology-based educational literature, at least based on the large sample surveyed at the University of New South Wales, suggests that caution should be used in the development of training programs for teachers in medical faculties, and that learning and teaching should ensure that students? expectations and teachers? training do not mismatch.

Scores of a sample of 113 Australian medical students on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index are compared with the normative data. The comparison suggests that these medical students' scores are generally comparable. A comparison of 4th and 6th Year clinical students indicated few differences between these samples, the exception being the subscale “Fantasy” on which 6th Year women students scored significantly higher than the other three student samples. These data will be used in a longitudinal study of consulting skills training given to the 4th Year students.

Scores of a sample of Australian medical students on the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity are compared with the normative data. The comparison suggests that these medical students' scores are generally slightly higher than those of the normative group but comparable to those of USA college and medical student samples. A comparison of 4th and 6th Year medical student samples indicated no differences between measures. These data will be further used in a longitudinal study of the effects of traditional medical education on students' consulting skills.

Abstract Introduction Trainee psychologists receive minimal sleep education during graduate psychology training programs, despite the frequent co-occurrence of sleep disturbances in mental health conditions. This study aimed to explore graduate psychology students’ experience working with sleep disturbances and their perceived skills and confidence to assess and treat sleep problems in clinical practice. Methods Australian graduate psychology students (N = 163) completed a novel survey developed specifically for the study, inquiring about their experience, skills and confidence to manage sleep disturbances in clinical practice. Students perceived skills to manage sleep disturbances were recorded on a 7-point Likert scale, where 1 = ‘strongly disagree’ and 7 = ‘strongly agree’. Students’ confidence to treat specific sleep disorders was also recorded. Results Sixty-eight percent of students reported having already worked with a client who experienced a sleep disturbance as part of their training. However, students’ perceived skills to assess and treat sleep disturbances were low. Only 14.9% ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they had the skills to assess and diagnose common sleep disorders (M = 3.22, SD = 1.75). Similarly, less than a quarter of students ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they felt comfortable using common sleep-related assessments (23.7%; M = 3.56, SD = 1.96) or empirically-supported interventions for sleep disturbances (22.6%; M = 3.71, SD = 1.83). The majority of students reported they were ‘not confident at all’ to treat parasomnias (80.3%); hypersomnias (77.9%); OSA (71.3%); circadian rhythm disorders (50%) or insomnia (41%). Conclusion Graduate psychology students report low levels of confidence in assessing and managing sleep disturbances in clinical practice, despite over two-thirds of students already working with clients experiencing sleep difficulties. Clinical training in the management of sleep disturbances is required for graduate psychology students. Support N/A

For a sample of 70 Australian medical students scores on tests of empathy and nonverbal sensitivity are compared with scores of the original normative groups for the tests. On the empathy measure, the present sample showed scores consistent with the norm group in each category except Personal Distress. Scores on the test of nonverbal sensitivity were generally consistent with data from a range of norm groups.

Purpose – Government-run mental health services in Australia run predominantly on a multidisciplinary team (MDT) model. Literature and observation from practice shows that interprofessional tertiary sector training is absent, ad hoc or not documented, leaving students inadequately prepared for disciplinary differences in opinions and practices. Learning in interprofessional educational settings provides one way of overcoming the difficulties. The purpose of this paper is to describe the outcomes of an interprofessional learning experience targeting final year Australian students enroled in health promotion, registered nursing, enroled nursing, paramedic science, psychology, social work and occupational therapy who are intending to work in mental health teams. Design/methodology/approach – Using a mixed method, pre- and post-test design (four time intervals), with data collected from three scales and open-ended questions, this study measured participant changes in knowledge and attitudes towards interprofessional education and mental health. The study also examined students’ and educators’ perceptions of the value of an interprofessional teaching and learning model. Findings – There was a significant increase in clinical confidence at each time interval, suggesting that the intervention effects were maintained up to three months post-training. Themes about the value of interprofessional learning in mental health were extracted from student data: learning expanded students’ appreciation for difference; this in turn expanded students’ cross-disciplinary communication skills; growing appreciation for diverse world views was seen to be relevant to person-centred mental healthcare; and practice articulating one's own disciplinary views clarified professional identity. Research limitations/implications – Generalisability of the outcomes beyond the disciplines sampled in this research is limited. MDTs typically include doctors, but we were unable to include medical students because the university did not offer a medical programme. The readiness for participation in a collaborative MDT approach may differ among students groups, disciplines and universities and technical and further educations. There may also be differences not accounted for in these findings between undergraduate students and established healthcare professionals. Further research needs to establish whether the findings are applicable to other student groups and to professionals who already work within MDTs. Originality/value – These results demonstrate that intensive interprofessional learning experiences in tertiary education can be effective means of increasing students’ awareness of the role of other professionals in MDT.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women of childbearing age. This study aimed to describe delivery of IPV education in Australian pre-vocational medical degrees, and barriers and facilitators influencing this delivery. Eighteen Australian medical schools offering pre-vocational medical degrees were identified. Two were excluded as they had not finalized new curricula. One declined to participate. At least one staff member from each of the remaining 15 schools completed a telephone survey. Main outcome measures included whether IPV education was delivered within the degree, at what stage, and whether it was compulsory; mode and number of hours of delivery; and barriers and facilitators to delivery. Twelve of the medical schools delivered IPV education (median time spent per course = 2 hr). IPV content was typically included as part of Obstetrics and Gynecology or General Practice curriculum. Barriers included time constraints and lack of faculty commitment, resources, and funding. The two schools that successfully implemented a comprehensive IPV curriculum used an integrated, advocacy-based approach, with careful forward planning. Most Australian pre-vocational medical students receive little or no IPV education. The need remains for a more consistent, comprehensive approach to IPV education in medical degrees.

Group administrations of the Screening Test of Adolescent Language have been successful in identifying students with English-language problems among groups of university students who include many recent immigrants from southeastern Asia. However, scoring several items requires subjective judgement. Accordingly, interrater reliability was investigated by having two independent examiners score the written responses of 299 first-year medical students at two Australian universities. The examiners produced very similar distributions of total scores with means of 20.36 and 19.36 and achieved a high agreement in the categorisation of students with English problems. The Spearman rank-order correlation of 0.83 was high and statistically significant from zero.

The Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery: English Form was administered to 152 of the 478 students beginning medical studies at an Australian university in 1990 and 1991. Two years after admission 147 of the students were available for retest. Test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from .70 to .85 for the 8 subtests, .83 to .91 for the three cluster scores, and the coefficient for the Broad Language Cluster score was .95. The sample had deliberately over-represented students low in English language proficiency but the reliability coefficients were only slightly reduced when this bias was corrected by forming a representative sample of 72 students. The mean incremental gain on the Broad Language Cluster of 1.8 was statistically significant and corresponded closely to the 2.0 predicted from the test norms for a 2-year developmental period. These results support previous reports of the excellent psychometric properties of this instrument.

Storm surges have the potential to bring widespread damage to the north Australian coastline. The dangers from the wind aspect of cyclones are well understood, however, it is unclear if the same can be said about the potential dangers from accompanying storm surges. This study explored the differences between how cyclones and storm surges are perceived by people who are vulnerable to such events. It is important to consider these aspects given that storm surges have not occurred frequently in the past but may happen more often in the future. The sample consisted of 231 undergraduate students studying psychology subjects at James Cook University in Townsville in north Queensland. Participants were asked to record their experience with cyclones and storm surges, their understanding of official warnings used when these events are imminent and a self-assessment of their ability to plan and prepared for these events. Perceptions of severity, possible negative consequences, likelihood and preparedness for both events were also obtained. The results demonstrated that participants living in this region are not as familiar with the particulars of storms surges as they are with cyclones. This study suggests that further research is needed to understand how experience can both facilitate and impede perception of risk, so that risk communication can be best structured for people who do not perceive themselves as being vulnerable.

У статті обґрунтовано актуальність вивчення чинників акультурації та мовної адаптації у контексті дослідження специфіки прояву прокрастинації іноземними студентами. Висвітлено особливості операціоналізації вказаних понять у сучасній науковій літературі. Вибірку дослідження склали іноземні студенти (n=41), які навчаються за освітнім рівнем «бакалавр» у двох вищих навчальних закладах України. Результати кореляційного аналізу свідчать про позитивний взаємозв’язок прокрастинації із загальним рівнем прояву стресу акультурації (r = 0.43, p<0,01), а також такими його аспектами як акультураційний страх (r = 0.46, p<0,01), сприйнята дискримінація (r = 0.37, p<0,05), почуття провини (r = 0.31, p<0,05). Вагоме значення аспектів мовної інтеграції у контексті вивчення тематики прокрастинації підтверджено зафіксованими прямими значущими кореляційними зв’язками із загальною шкалою мовної тривожності (r = 0.59, p<0,001), страхом негативної оцінки (r = 0.62, p<0,001), страхом спілкування (r = 0.62, p<0,001) та складання іспитів (r = 0.47, p<0,01). Література References Грабчак О. Особливості академічної прокрастинації студентів-першокурсників// Педагогіка і психологія професійної освіти. 2016. № 4. С. 210-218 Колтунович Т.А., Поліщук О. М. Прокрастинація – конфлікт між «важливим» і «приємним»// Young Scientist. 2017. Вип. 5, № 45. С. 211-218. Ряднова В. В., Безега Н. М., Безкоровайна І. М., Воскресенська Л. К., Пера-Васильченко А. В. Психологічні особливості процесу адаптації й організації навчання студентів-іноземців// Актуальні питання медичної (фармацевтичної) освіти іноземних громадян: проблеми та перспективи. Збірник наукових статей. 2018. С. 74-76. Balkis, M., Duru, E. (2019). Procrastination and Rational/Irrational Beliefs: A Moderated Mediation Model. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. doi:10.1007/s10942-019-00314-6 Berry, J. W. (2005). Acculturation: Living successfully in two cultures. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29(6), 697-712. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2005.07.013 Chowdhury, S.F., Pychyl, T.A. (2018). A critique of the construct validity of active procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences, 120, 7-12. DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.paid.2017.08.016. DuBow, F. McCabe, E., Kaplan, G. (1979). Reactions to Crime: A Critical Review of the Literature, Unpublished report. Center for Urban Affairs, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Ferrari J.R., Crum K.P., Pardo M.A. (2018), Decisional procrastination: Assessing characte­rological and contextual variables around indecision. Current Psychology, 37(2), doi: 10.1007/s12144-017-9681-x. Ferrari, J. R., Johnson, J. L., McCown, W. G. (1995). The Plenum series in social/clinical psychology. Procrastination and task avoidance: Theory, research, and treatment. N.Y.: Plenum Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4899-0227-6 Ferrari, J. R., O'Callaghan, J., Newbegin, I. (2005). Prevalence of Procrastination in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia: arousal and avoidance delays among adults. North American Journal of Psychology, 7(1), 1-6. Gamst-Klaussen, T., Steel, P., Svartdal, F. (2019). Procrastination and personal finances: Exploring the roles of planning and financial self-efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00775 Goldin, C., Katz, L. F., Kuziemko, I. (2006), The homecoming of American college women: The reversal of the college gender gap. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(4), 133-157. Haghbin, M. (2015). Conceptualization and operationalization of delay: Development and validation of the multifaceted measure of academic procrastination and the delay questionnaire. (Unpublished Ph.D. thesis). Carleton University, Ottowa, Canada. Hashemi, M., Abbasi, M. (2013). The role of the teacher in alleviating anxiety in language classes. International Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 4(3), 640-646. Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M.B., Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132. Klingsieck, K. B. (2013). Procrastination: When good things don’t come to those who wait. European Psychologist, 18(1), 24-34. doi: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000138 Kornienko, A. A., Shamrova, D. P., Kvesko, S. B., Kornienko, A. A., Nikitina, Y. A., Chaplinskaya, Y. I. (2016). Adaptation Problems Experienced by International Students in Aspect of Quality Management. The European Proceedings of Social & Behavioral Sciences, 48, 358-361 doi: 10.15405/epsbs.2017.01.48 Kráľová, Z., Sorádová D. (2015). Foreign Language Learning Anxiety. In: Teaching Foreign Languages in Inclusive Education: (A teacher-trainee´s handbook), Nitra: Constantine the Philosopher University. doi: 10.17846/SEN.2015.91-100 Lee, S. (2008). Relationship between selected predictors and adjustment/acculturation stress among East Asian international students. (Doctoral dissertation). University of Kentucky, Lexington. Lindblom-Ylänne, S., Saariaho, E., Inkinen, M., Haarala-Muhonen. A., Hailikari., T (2015). Academic procrastinators, strategic delayers and something betwixt and between: An interview study. Frontline Learning Research, 3(2), 47-62. Markiewicz, K. (2018). Prokrastynacja i prokrastynatorzy. Definicja, etiologia, epidemiologia i terapia. Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska, 31(3), 195-213. Markiewicz, K., Dziewulska, P. (2018). Procrastination Predictors and moderating effect of personality traits. Polskie Forum Psychologiczne, 23(3), 593-609 doi: 10.14656/ PFP20180308 Pychyl, T.A., Sirois, F. M. (2016). Procrastination, emotion regulation, and well-being. In: Procrastination, Health, and Well-Being, (pp. 163-188). Academic Press, Rorer, L. G. (1983). “Deep” RET: A reformulation of some psychodynamic explanations of procrastination. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 7, l-10. Russell, J., Rosenthal, D., Thomson, G. (2010). The international student experience: Three styles of adaptation. Higher Education, 60, 235-249 Sandhu, D. S., Asrabadi, B. R. (1994). Development of an acculturative stress scale for international students: Preliminary findings. Psychological Reports, 75(1,2), 435-448. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1994.75.1.435 Schouwenburg, H. C., Lay, C. H., Pychyl, T. A., Ferrari, J. R. (Eds.). (2004). Counseling the Procrastinator in Academic Settings. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/10808-000 Sirois, F.M., Pychyl, T.A. (2013). Procrastination and the Priority of Short-Term Mood Regulation: Consequences for Future Self. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(2), 115-127. Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: a meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential selfregulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133, 65–94. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65 Steel, P., Ferrari, J. (2013). Sex, education and procrastination: An epidemiological study of procrastinators’ characteristics from a global sample. European Journal of Personality, 27(1), 51-58. doi: 10.1002/per.1851. Tibbett, T. P., Ferrari, J. R. (2015). The portrait of the procrastinator: Risk factors and results of an indecisive personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 82, 175–184 Van Eerde, W., Klingsieck, K. B. (2018). Overcoming procrastination? A meta-analysis of intervention studies. Educational Research Review, 25, 73-85. Zhanibek, A. (2001). The relationship between language anxiety and students’ participation in foreign language classes. (Master thesis). Bilkent University, Ankara. References (translated and transliterated) Hrabchak, O. (2016). Osoblyvosti akademichnoji prokrastynaciji studentiv-pershokursnykiv [Academic procrastination features in first-year students]. Pedaghohika i Psykholohiya Profesiynoyi Osvity, 4, 210-218 Koltunovych, T.A., Polishhuk, O.M (2017). Prokrastynacija – konflikt mizh “vazhlyvym” i “pryjemnym” [Procrustination - the conflict between “important” and “pleasant”]. Young Scientist, 5 (45), 211-218. Riadnova, V.V., Bezeha, N.M., Bezkorovaina, I.M., Voskresens’ka, L.K., Pera-Vasylchenko, A.V. (2018). Psykhologhichni osoblyvosti procesu adaptaciyi i orghanizaciyi navchannia studentiv-inozemtsiv [Psychological features of the process of adaptation and organization of international students’ training]. Issues of Medical (Pharmaceutical) Education of International Citizens: Problems and Prospects. Book of abstracts (74-76). Poltava, Ukraine. Balkis, M., Duru, E. (2019). Procrastination and Rational/Irrational Beliefs: A Moderated Mediation Model. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. doi:10.1007/s10942-019-00314-6 Berry, J. W. (2005). Acculturation: Living successfully in two cultures. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29(6), 697-712. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2005.07.013 Chowdhury, S.F., Pychyl, T.A. (2018). A critique of the construct validity of active procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences, 120, 7-12. DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.paid.2017.08.016. DuBow, F. McCabe, E., Kaplan, G. (1979). Reactions to Crime: A Critical Review of the Literature, Unpublished report. Center for Urban Affairs, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Ferrari J.R., Crum K.P., Pardo M.A. (2018), Decisional procrastination: Assessing characte­rological and contextual variables around indecision. Current Psychology, 37(2), doi: 10.1007/s12144-017-9681-x. Ferrari, J. R., Johnson, J. L., McCown, W. G. (1995). The Plenum series in social/clinical psychology. Procrastination and task avoidance: Theory, research, and treatment. N.Y.: Plenum Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4899-0227-6 Ferrari, J. R., O'Callaghan, J., Newbegin, I. (2005). Prevalence of Procrastination in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia: arousal and avoidance delays among adults. North American Journal of Psychology, 7(1), 1-6. Gamst-Klaussen, T., Steel, P., Svartdal, F. (2019). Procrastination and personal finances: Exploring the roles of planning and financial self-efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00775 Goldin, C., Katz, L. F., Kuziemko, I. (2006), The homecoming of American college women: The reversal of the college gender gap. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(4), 133-157. Haghbin, M. (2015). Conceptualization and operationalization of delay: Development and validation of the multifaceted measure of academic procrastination and the delay questionnaire. (Unpublished Ph.D. thesis). Carleton University, Ottowa, Canada. Hashemi, M., Abbasi, M. (2013). The role of the teacher in alleviating anxiety in language classes. International Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 4(3), 640-646. Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M.B., Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132. Klingsieck, K. B. (2013). Procrastination: When good things don’t come to those who wait. European Psychologist, 18(1), 24-34. doi: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000138 Kornienko, A. A., Shamrova, D. P., Kvesko, S. B., Kornienko, A. A., Nikitina, Y. A., Chaplinskaya, Y. I. (2016). Adaptation Problems Experienced by International Students in Aspect of Quality Management. The European Proceedings of Social & Behavioral Sciences, 48, 358-361 doi: 10.15405/epsbs.2017.01.48 Kráľová, Z., Sorádová D. (2015). Foreign Language Learning Anxiety. In: Teaching Foreign Languages in Inclusive Education: (A teacher-trainee´s handbook), Nitra: Constantine the Philosopher University. doi: 10.17846/SEN.2015.91-100 Lee, S. (2008). Relationship between selected predictors and adjustment/acculturation stress among East Asian international students. (Doctoral dissertation). University of Kentucky, Lexington. Lindblom-Ylänne, S., Saariaho, E., Inkinen, M., Haarala-Muhonen. A., Hailikari., T (2015). Academic procrastinators, strategic delayers and something betwixt and between: An interview study. Frontline Learning Research, 3(2), 47-62. Markiewicz, K. (2018). Prokrastynacja i prokrastynatorzy. Definicja, etiologia, epidemiologia i terapia. Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska, 31(3), 195-213. Markiewicz, K., Dziewulska, P. (2018). Procrastination Predictors and moderating effect of personality traits. Polskie Forum Psychologiczne, 23(3), 593-609 doi: 10.14656/ PFP20180308 Pychyl, T.A., Sirois, F. M. (2016). Procrastination, emotion regulation, and well-being. In: Procrastination, Health, and Well-Being, (pp. 163-188). Academic Press, Rorer, L. G. (1983). “Deep” RET: A reformulation of some psychodynamic explanations of procrastination. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 7, l-10. Russell, J., Rosenthal, D., Thomson, G. (2010). The international student experience: Three styles of adaptation. Higher Education, 60, 235-249 Sandhu, D. S., Asrabadi, B. R. (1994). Development of an acculturative stress scale for international students: Preliminary findings. Psychological Reports, 75(1,2), 435-448. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1994.75.1.435 Schouwenburg, H. C., Lay, C. H., Pychyl, T. A., Ferrari, J. R. (Eds.). (2004). Counseling the Procrastinator in Academic Settings. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/10808-000 Sirois, F.M., Pychyl, T.A. (2013). Procrastination and the Priority of Short-Term Mood Regulation: Consequences for Future Self. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(2), 115-127. Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: a meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential selfregulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133, 65–94. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65 Steel, P., Ferrari, J. (2013). Sex, education and procrastination: An epidemiological study of procrastinators’ characteristics from a global sample. European Journal of Personality, 27(1), 51-58. doi: 10.1002/per.1851. Tibbett, T. P., Ferrari, J. R. (2015). The portrait of the procrastinator: Risk factors and results of an indecisive personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 82, 175–184 Van Eerde, W., Klingsieck, K. B. (2018). Overcoming procrastination? A meta-analysis of intervention studies. Educational Research Review, 25, 73-85. Zhanibek, A. (2001). The relationship between language anxiety and students’ participation in foreign language classes. (Master thesis). Bilkent University, Ankara.

Rimon's Brief Depression Scale was administered to examine the associations of university status and gender on depression among 1728 subjects ages 17 to 40 years and residing in Sydney, Australia. Analysis showed the 912 women were significantly more depressed than the 816 men; however, no significant difference was found between 744 university students and 984 nonstudents. These findings were interpreted in terms of various theories proposed in the literature.

Headaches occur frequently and thus are a key component of sociocentric medical education. OBJECTIVE: To study headaches among students of medicine and psychology in a single university. METHOD: This was a questionnaire-based survey of a cohort of students of medicine and psychology. RESULTS: The overall lifetime prevalence of headache was 98% and over the last year, 91%. Tensional headache accounted for 59% and migraine 22% in medicine; and 48.5% and 32% respectively in psychology. Forty-five percent reported that headaches had a variable sporadic impact on their productivity. The self-medication rate was 77%. Thirty-six percent reported worsening since admission to the university. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of headaches was very high. Tension-type headaches predominated in males and migraine in females. Tension-type was more frequent among medical students than among psychology students; migraine was more frequent in psychology (more females) than in medicine. Both kinds of students reported that headaches caused low interference with daily activities. The students reported that their symptoms had worsened since admission to the university.

Research on perceptions of risk in Australia began only recently. Typically, data from other countries were used to determine what hazards might be considered most and least risky by the Australian public. Relying on overseas data is problematic, however, because cultural contexts may influence risk perceptions. To address the paucity of data on risk perceptions in Australia, we obtained relative risk ratings for 30 hazardous technologies and activities from 40 Australian undergraduate students. The results suggested that, while there are some similarities with other countries, there are also some unique features in Australian risk perceptions. Researchers should investigate the reasons underlying similarities and differences in risk perceptions across cultures.

AbstractIn this study international and domestic students were compared on variables such as accommodation and financial satisfaction, social support, mismatched expectations, academic stress, dysfunctional coping, and psychological distress. International and domestic students (N = 86 for each group), enrolled at a large Australian university based in a capital city, completed a battery of questionnaires. Results demonstrate that in comparison to domestic students, international students had less social support, used more dysfunctional coping strategies and had greater incongruence between their expectations and experiences of university life. The results endorse the significance of providing high quality supportive and orientation programs to international students, to enhance their social support and coping strategies, which, as demonstrated, are lacking.

This paper reports the construction and validation of a measure of social self-efficacy in a range of social interaction situations commonly experienced by tertiary students, including situations posing special concern to recent arrivals to the Australian educational setting. Participants in the first study were 228 undergraduate students. Among these, 91 were Australia-born with English-speaking-background parents (Anglo-Australians), 90 were also Australia-born but had parents from a non-English-speaking-background (NESB Australia-born), and 47 were overseas-born with NESB parents (NESB immigrants). Item and factor analyses yielded a 20-item, 4-factors Social Self-Efficacy Scale for Students (SSESS). The four factors were Absence of Social Difficulties, Social Confidence, Sharing Interests, and Friendship Initiatives. Evidence of the scale's satisfactory internal consistency reliability, and its concurrent and construct validity is presented. Indication of satisfactory test-retest reliability was obtained from a second sample of 16 university students. Applications and directions for further research are discussed.

Self-esteem is increasing in the United States according to temporal meta-analyses of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. However, it remains unclear whether this trend reflects broad social ecological shifts toward urban, affluent, and technologically advanced or a unique cultural history. A temporal meta-analysis of self-esteem was conducted in Australia. Australia shares social ecological and cultural similarities with the United States. On the other hand, Australian culture is horizontally individualistic and places a stronger emphasis on self-other equality compared to American culture. For this reason, the strengthening norm of positive self-esteem found in the United States may not be evident in Australia. Consistent with this possibility, the findings indicated that self-esteem among Australian high school students, university students, and community participants did not change between 1978 and 2014.

Background: Medical students experience high levels of stress during their training. Literature suggests that mindfulness can reduce stress and increase self-compassion levels in medical students. Most mindfulness training programs are delivered face-to-face and require significant time commitments, which can be difficult to achieve for rurally-based students with heavy academic workloads.Aim: We sought to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a mindfulness training program delivered online to medical students at a Rural Clinical School.Methods: An 8-week online training program was delivered to third year medical students at the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia in 2016.Using quantitative-qualitative mixed-methods approach, we measured the frequency and duration of the participants’ mindfulness meditation practice, and assessed changes in their perceived stress, self-compassion and compassion levels, as well as personal and professional attitudes and behaviours.Results: 47 students were recruited to the study. 50% of participants were practising at least weekly by the end of the 8-week program, and 32% of responding students reported practising at least weekly 6 months following the intervention. There was a statistically significant reduction in participants’ perceived stress levels and a significant increase in self-compassion at 6 month follow up. Participants reported qualitative insights about the personal and professional impact of mindfulness meditation training as well as barriers to practice.

AbstractThis study examines whether young migrants, differentiated by cultural background, (a) vary in their experience of cultural adjustment, emotional distress, levels of self-esteem, and coping ability, and (b) how they compare with Australian students on measures of self-esteem and coping ability. One hundred and seventy-three students differentiated by cultural origin (former-Yugoslavian, Chinese, Mixed-culture, and Australian) and school level (primary and high school) were recruited at random from public schools in South East Queensland. Students completed measures of cultural adjustment (Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire), anxiety and trauma (Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, Trauma Symptom Checklist), self-esteem (Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and coping ability (Coping Scale for Children and Adolescents). The main findings from this study indicate that culturally diverse groups residing in Australia vary in their experience of cultural adaptation, level of self-esteem, and symptoms of emotional distress, illustrating culture-specific strengths and weaknesses among young non-English speaking (NESB) students. This study reveals information on how culturally diverse migrants acculturate, the type and severity of symptoms they experience, and their capacity to cope in stressful situations. The need for culture-specific early intervention and prevention programs is discussed.

This study investigated the degree to which age, year of study, sex, and marital status predict trait anxiety, as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, among 131 medical students in four classes of a six-year medical school. Univariate analysis showed men had lower trait-anxiety scores than women, and married students had lower scores than single students. Trait-anxiety declined with age and year of study. Multivariate analysis showed that sex was the best predictor of trait-anxiety among these students and that age was a significant predictor even when year of study was held constant. It is suggested that trait-anxiety declines with age among young adults as they successfully cope with the developmental challenges, including professional socialization, of this stage of life.

Among medical students, fatigue is a common complaint and is related to poor academic outcomes. Associations of scores on personality traits and fatigue in medical students were examined. A group of 125 healthy second-year medical students completed a questionnaire about fatigue, the Japanese version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale, and the Temperament and Character Inventory. On simple regression analyses, the Temperament and Character Inventory dimension of Harm Avoidance was positively associated with Fatigue scores and those on Self-directedness were negatively associated. Similarly, on multiple regression analyses adjusted for age and sex, scores on the Temperament and Character Inventory dimension of Harm Avoidance were positively associated with Fatigue scores, and those for Self-directedness were negatively associated. These correlations were evident even after adjustment for other Temperament and Character Inventory dimensions. The temperament dimension of Harm Avoidance and the character dimension of Self-directedness were both associated with Fatigue in medical students.

In this study the experiences of final-year medical students performing gender-specific examinations were assessed. In 2006, all students in the final year of medical school at the University of Erciyes, Turkey, were given a questionnaire containing 17 questions on gender-specific examinations. A total of 200 (94%) students completed the questionnaire. Female students were less confident in performing male genital and prostate examinations. In this study, it was demonstrated that there was suboptimal exposure to gender-specific examinations, resulting particularly in less than confident female students. Student logbooks should be used more accurately and efficiently to increase opportunities to perform gender-specific examinations.

Objective: Recruitment of medical graduates into psychiatry has become a growing issue over the last few decades. This paper describes the implementation of an innovative program, based on a Canadian concept, that aimed to promote psychiatry as a career choice to medical students, to immerse them in the ‘world of psychiatry’, and introduce them to potential mentors. The University of Western Australia Institute of Psychiatry for Medical Students was a week-long program that provided medical students with an opportunity to participate in a diverse agenda of interactive seminars on a range of psychiatric subspecialties and the neurosciences. Students were also able to attend elective sessions and meet registrars and psychiatrists on an informal basis. Lunches and social events were also provided. Conclusion: Twenty-one students attended the inaugural Institute. Twenty-seven speakers contributed to the morning seminars and there were 17 clinical elective site visits. Feedback from students was positive and the week was rated highly, both in terms of its organization and from an academic perspective. It is planned to run the Institute annually and, in time, it is hoped that it will increase the numbers of students who choose psychiatry as a career option.

This study assessed reliability and validity of the Approaches to Learning Mathematics Questionnaire, for 218 university students. The study also identified the relationship between subscales. Internal consistency as Cronbach alpha was .77 for the Surface Approach to Learning scale and .88 for the Deep Approach to Learning scale. Principal components analysis yielded a two-factor solution accounting for only 34.6% of variance. The factors were interpreted as Surface Approach and Deep Approach to learning mathematics, as in Australia. The former subscale scores were negatively correlated –.2 with the latter subscale scores.

A total of 476 university students and 732 nonuniversity students from Sydney, Australia were examined, for both sexes, on differences in ranking acts of romance by their importance. Comparisons between men and women and between university and nonuniversity students showed no significant differences. An interesting finding was that “making love” was ranked the most important romantic act by men and fifth by women.

The article discusses the features of teaching physiology to students medical universities specializing in "Medical Psychology". From a future doctor - a medical psychologist is needed solid theoretical training in one of the most difficult areas of medicine - neurology and psychiatry. It is with the second year, in physiology lessons, the development of theoretical material begins and the foundations of clinical thinking is necessary already in senior courses, on an internship for successful mastering of knowledge. Medical psychology studies the psychological aspects of a doctor's activities and patient behavior. He studies the mental manifestations of diseases, the role of the psyche in their emergence, course, treatment, as well as in strengthening human health. Relevance of scientific research. The links between psychology and medicine are so close that for psychologists working in this field, medical knowledge is absolutely essential. At the same time, doctors are increasingly aware of the need for psychological knowledge for successful medical work. So, medical psychology is an area of ​​scientific knowledge and an area practical work, which applies equally to medicine and psychology. When developing problemsmedical psychology combines the efforts of psychologists, physiologists and doctors. Relevance of medical psychology is determined by the basic position of medicine that the doctor should treat not the disease, but the patient. Conclusions. Special attention to the teachers of the department is paid to the development of practical skills for solving situational problems, the acquisition skills of checking reflex activity, measuring reflex time. Solving situational problems poses a problem for the future doctor, to teach the student to think clinically and at the same time gives excellent theoretical training.

Whilst there is evidence of subjective wellbeing being related to academic success, good performance within and beyond university, degree attainment, and positive subsequent physical, mental, economic, and social outcomes in the university student population, less is known on how different student populations perceive, experience, and cultivate wellbeing. The current study explored the perspectives and experiences of one such population: Chinese international students at several universities across Australia. Semi-structured interviews with 30 students indicated that participants mainly experienced wellbeing through experiences of competence, feeling supported by family and friends, low levels of pressure, and giving to others. Almost half of the participants believed that people around them had low wellbeing. Students indicated drawing upon intrapersonal activities as the primary pathway to support their own wellbeing, whereas they pointed to interpersonal activities to support other’s wellbeing. The findings show the mismatch between students’ wellbeing experiences and pathways, shed light on understanding students’ wellbeing in the higher education context, and identify some of the contextual and cultural factors that contribute to wellbeing experiences and pathways. Implications for interculturally nuanced approaches to understanding and supporting wellbeing are considered

30 men and 12 women in the third year of medical training completed the D-20 version of Rokeach's Dogmatism Scale, the Rokeach Scales for Terminal and Introductory Values, and items on career attitudes and background. Scores suggested these students are congenial to primary-care and patient-oriented medicine.