In this uncontrolled study, the intervention period was associated with reduced distress, increased confidence and ability to regulate emotion. Recommendations for continuing this model of service delivery are made. Further research is needed.

This study investigated the development of national ingroup bias in 5-11-year-old children. Three hundred and seven English children were asked to attribute characteristics to their own national group either on its own or in conjunction with attributing characteristics to one of two national outgroups, either Americans or Germans. The importance which the children ascribed to their own national identity in relationship to their other social identities was also assessed. It was found that, with increasing age, there was an increase in the number of negative characteristics which were attributed to the national ingroup, and an increase in the number of positive characteristics which were attributed to the two outgroups, the net result being an overall reduction in ingroup bias across this age range. However, ingroup favouritism was still exhibited at all ages. Greater importance was attributed to national identity with increasing age. However, the characteristics which were attributed to the English ingroup did not vary as a function of the comparative outgroup which was present while the attributions were being made. The presence of a comparative outgroup also did not affect the importance which was ascribed to the national identity. These findings suggest that children are relatively insensitive to the prevailing comparative context when making judgements about national groups.

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The sample comprised 102 people who inject drugs. Internalized stigma was higher among participants who reported being depressed in the past month, and was also associated with greater severity of drug dependence and diminished self-esteem. There was no relationship between internalized stigma and shared use of needles or other injecting equipment in the past month. Conclusions/Importance: Findings underscore the need for further investigation of internalized stigma among people who inject drugs. In particular, future research should assess the impact of implicit (i.e., subconscious) internalized stigma on mental health.

A frequent complaint by service-users of psychiatric inpatient units is the unavailability of talking therapy at precisely the time when they need to make sense of their situation. However, conventional models of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) delivery, with set numbers of sessions and diagnostic specificity, are not well suited to the conditions of the acute ward, with variable and unpredictable lengths of stay and multiple and indistinct presentations. This pilot study describes a modification of CBT designed to deliver an effective, brief therapy in these conditions. The approach is grounded on the cognitive science-based model, interacting cognitive subsystems, and draws on dialectical behaviour therapy and other recent, mindfulness-based CBT approaches to provide a combination of simple formulation and skills-based treatment. Evaluation in the inpatient setting also presents challenges, and these have been met by choosing measures that tap into self-efficacy and confidence in the management of emotions rather than symptomatic change. The evaluation data on a small number of cases suggest the effectiveness of the approach and the need for wider testing of the model. Copyright

We examined individual-level syringe coverage among 417 people who inject drugs who were recruited from pharmacies in New South Wales in 2009. There was a U-shaped distribution of syringe coverage with many people having very high (51%) or very low (23%) coverage. Overall, two-thirds of respondents (63%) reported adequate coverage (≥ 100%). Respondents who had not used a needle and syringe program in the previous month were more likely to report inadequate coverage (AOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.25-4.05) as were those who reported daily or more frequent injecting (AOR 3.69, 95% CI 2.00-6.81). Inadequate syringe coverage was not independently associated with receptive needle sharing. The level of syringe coverage was high among this sample, and met targets set out by UNAIDS and other organisations. We found that inadequate syringe coverage was not independently correlated with receptive needle sharing, possibly because coverage is sufficient to diminish the relationship between syringe availability and sharing behaviours.

Objective: Aboriginal Australians are disproportionately affected by hepatitis C (HCV). There are a range of barriers to HCV care, often beginning with poor diagnosis experiences. Little research exists on the experiences of Aboriginal Australians living with HCV. This study aimed to describe their patterns of HCV care and treatment with specific emphasis on the impact of their being informed of their diagnosis in a culturally sensitive manner. Methods:A total of 203 Aboriginal people living with HCV were recruited to complete a survey assessing experiences of HCV testing and care, HCV knowledge, lifestyle changes after diagnosis, perceived stigma and discrimination.Results: Of the sample, 58% were male and 96% identified as Aboriginal, with a mean age of 28 years. Correlation analysis revealed that satisfaction with the cultural appropriateness of the diagnosis was associated with: being offered pre-and post-test counselling; satisfaction with HCV care; decreased feelings of HCV-related stigma; lower scores on the medical mistrust scale; and greater intentions to access HCV treatment. Conclusions:These findings confirm the importance of providing a HCV diagnosis in a culturally appropriate way for Aboriginal people.Implications: Satisfaction with HCV diagnosis appears essential in establishing patterns of greater engagement with HCV care and treatment for this group.

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