Browsing by Author "de Terte I"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    A preliminary study investigating the neglected domain of mental health in Australian lifesavers and lifeguards.
    (Springer Nature Limited, 2023-05-31) Fien S; Lawes JC; Ledger J; Drummond M; Simon P; Joseph N; Daw S; Best T; Stanton R; de Terte I
    BACKGROUND: Surf lifesavers and lifeguards have provided essential education, preventative, and rescue services to the Australian community for over 110 years. In this first responder role, surf lifesavers and lifeguards are inadvertently exposed to high risk and trauma related experiences, which may negatively impact mental well-being. To date however, there has been limited research into the mental health of surf lifesavers and lifeguards, and no studies at all on the mental health of adolescent surf lifesavers. The preliminary study aimed to measure the exposure of potentially traumatic events (PTEs), post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), self-efficacy, social support, and attitudes towards mental health problems in Surf Life Saving (SLS) members. METHODS: An anonymous, online survey was developed (adolescent and adult versions) and created to measure the domain of mental health in surf lifesavers and lifeguards. Pearson's correlations investigated relationships between PTEs, PTSS, self-efficacy, social support, attitudes towards mental health problems, age, years as a SLS member, and years patrolling. Spearman's Rank was used for violations of normality. RESULTS: A total of 57 surf lifesavers/lifeguards aged 13-59 years were included in the final analysis. There was a significant positive relationship between exposure to direct trauma and PTSS, which in turn, were associated with greater negative attitudes towards mental health problems towards the mental health of others, and lower levels of self-efficacy. Male and female adults with PTSS reported lower social support, whereas for adolescent males, a positive relationship between direct trauma and PTSS was observed. CONCLUSION: This research is the first to explore the mental health of Australian surf lifesavers and lifeguards. The results highlight the potential risks to mental health and well-being associated with this first responder role. More research to protect the vulnerability of this population is warranted.
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    Exposure to Traumatic Events and Shame in Adolescent Surf Lifesavers: An Australian Perspective
    (Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2024-10-10) Fien S; Lawes JC; Ledger J; de Terte I; Drummond M; Simon P; Joseph N; Daw S; Kelly S; Hillman W; Stanton R; Best T
    Emergency service personnel experience high levels of psychological distress, with increasing evidence of associations with shame and trauma. Additionally, adolescence is a critical time in social and cognitive development, in which shame plays an important role. In Australia, adolescent volunteer surf lifesavers (SLS) are particularly vulnerable due to exposure to potentially traumatic experiences (PTEs) such as rescues and resuscitation of human lives. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between direct or indirect PTEs, and the relationship PTSS and shame may have in adolescent surf lifesavers. This cross-sectional study surveyed patrolling adolescent SLS, aged 13–17 years, recruited via internal communications and social media groups. Complete responses from patrolling adolescents (n = 118; 59% female; mean age 15.4 years) were used to determine exposure to PTEs across global, direct, and within SLS trauma domains. Associations between demographics, PTEs, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), with shame as a moderator were assessed for each trauma domain. PTEs and PTSS were positively associated across trauma domains. Shame was identified as a significant predictor of PTSS and as an important moderator of PTSS for experiences within SLSA, but not global or direct trauma. By exploring links between PTEs, PTSS, and shame, these findings contribute to the development of strategies and interventions for adolescents during stressful times. Responsiveness to adolescents via feedback and genuine, reassuring relationships that acknowledge the complexity of coping with stressful situations, may be potentially effective approaches to support coping with experiences of shame following PTE’s in adolescent surf lifesavers.
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    Patterns of post-traumatic stress symptoms in mild traumatic brain injury and their relationship with outcomes: a latent profile analysis.
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2023-06-23) Faulkner JW; Snell DL; Theadom A; de Terte I; Low R
    INTRODUCTION: Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are known to contribute to postconcussion symptoms and functional status following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Identifying symptom cluster profiles provide an opportunity to better understand PTSS and their influence on these outcomes. In this study, latent profiles of PTSS following mTBI were identified, and their association with mTBI outcomes was examined. The predictive role of demographic and injury related variables on profile membership was also explored. METHOD: Adults (N = 252) completed self report measures of PTSS and mTBI outcomes (post-concussion symptoms and functional status) within three months of mTBI. These measures were re-administered six months later (N = 187). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to ascertain the latent class structure of PTSS, and regression analysis to examine predictors of profiles. ANCOVA, with general psychological distress as a covariate, revealed the relationship between profiles and mTBI outcomes. RESULTS: LPA identified a four-profile model to best describe PTSS at baseline. This included a resilient (49.6%), moderate (30.6%), moderate with high intrusion/avoidance (14.3%) and a highly symptomatic profile (5.6%). A secondary school education or less and/or unemployment before mTBI was significantly more likely in the highly symptomatic profile, as well as sustaining an mTBI due to an assault or motor vehicle accident. PTSS latent class membership was significantly associated with mTBI outcomes even when controlling for general psychological distress. The resilient group had significantly better outcomes at baseline and six-month follow-up. However, no significant differences in mTBI outcomes emerged between the moderate, moderate with high intrusion/avoidance and the highly symptomatic profiles. CONCLUSION: The current study provides novel information on the symptom profiles of PTSS in mTBI, predictors of profile membership and their relationship with mTBI outcomes. Although future research using this approach is needed, the current study offers a more in-depth understanding of PTSS in mTBI to inform clinical care.
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    Posttraumatic Growth and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in People with HIV
    (Springer Nature, 2022-11) Chi D; de Terte I; Gardner D
    Receiving a diagnosis of HIV can be challenging. People with HIV (PWH) can experience high levels of distress, as well as some positive psychological changes associated with post-traumatic growth. However, the mechanisms which underlying the association of a highly stressful event (i.e., being diagnosed with HIV) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are under-explored, and this is the focus of the study. Cross-sectional survey data were provided by 77 PWH living in New Zealand. An analysis examined the roles of deliberate rumination and coping strategies as serial mediators of the associations between event centrality and PTG and PTSSs. The relationships between event centrality and PTG and PTSSs were found to be sequentially mediated by deliberate rumination and avoidance coping, but not by deliberate rumination and active coping. Further analyses explored active coping and deliberate rumination as parallel mediators, with avoidance coping as a subsequent mediator, between event centrality and PTG and PTSSs. However, these analyses were not supported. The findings indicate that the more participants appraised the HIV diagnosis as central, the greater PTG they perceived; however, the more they deliberately ruminated on it, and the more avoidance coping they adopted, the less PTG and greater PTSSs they perceived. Future studies need to explore the relationships of event centrality and coping and their associations with PTG and PTSSs.
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    Social adjustment in New Zealand and Philippine emergency responders: A test of main and moderating effects of received social support
    (Massey University Press, 2020-09) Guilaran J; de Terte I; Kaniasty K; Stephens C
    This study examined the influence of received social support on the social adjustment of emergency responders. Emergency responders (N = 223) from New Zealand and the Philippines answered an online questionnaire measuring demographic variables, duty-related traumatic exposure, social support received from different sources, and social adjustment (i.e., social and occupational impairment, posttraumatic growth in interpersonal relationships). Results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that a greater amount of received social support from supervisors and a greater amount of received emotional support were both associated with lower levels of social and occupational impairment. Additionally, higher amounts of support received from family and supervisors, as well as from all sources combined, predicted higher posttraumatic growth scores in the domain of interpersonal relationships. Received social support was not observed to moderate the effects of traumatic exposure on social adjustment. Findings were generally consistent with the main effect model of social support and underscored the differential effects of the various components of received social support on social adjustment dimensions.