The Australian and New Zealand population of patients alive after a Fontan procedure will double over the next 20years increasing the demand for heart-failure services and cardiac transplantation. Greater consideration for the needs of this mostly adult Fontan population will be necessary.

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The present study assessed the reliability and validity of the revised scales of the Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC) in a Dutch sample of children with intellectual disability (ID). The psychometric properties of the parent and teacher versions of the DBC were assessed in various subsamples derived from a sample of  Dutch children (age range = - years) with ID or borderline intellectual functioning. Good test-retest reliability was shown both for the parent and teacher versions. Moderate inter-parent agreement and high one-year stability was found for the scale scores. Construct validity was satisfactory, although limited by high informant variance. The DBC scales showed good criterion-related validity, as indicated by significant mean differences between referred and non-referred children, and between children with and without a corresponding DSM-IV diagnosis. The reliability and validity of the revised DBC Correspondence: Marielle C. Dekker, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Dr. Molewaterplein ,  GJ Rotterdam, the Netherlands (e-mail: dekker@psys.azr.nl).scales are satisfactory, and the checklist is recommended for clinical and research purposes.

The trialled pathway, which was modified and refined following the study, is an evidence-based resource for community nurses in Australia and similar contexts to guide practise and maximise holistic care for war veterans and war widow(er)s and possibly other client groups.

The Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC) was developed to assess psychopathology in children with intellectual disabilities. A cut-off point between "non-cases' and "cases' was determined by comparison of the total scores with psychiatric clinical assessment. This paper describes a method aimed at determining the types of psychiatric problems in those regarded as "cases'. Factor analysis with varimax rotation carried out on a sample of 1093 subjects extracted six factors. Standardized factor scores were calculated for each subject in a community sample (n = 450), and the only or the dominant positive score was determined for each of the "cases'. Over 80% of "cases' could be allotted to one condition. Only a small number had none, or three or more conditions. The same procedure was replicated on a validation sample (n = 448) with even more satisfactory results. Differences in the prevalence of the six conditions by sex, age and level of mental retardation were ascertained. The validity and clinical relevance of this method are discussed.

The objective of the reported study was to reassess the factor structure of the Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC) in a large cross-cultural sample representing all levels of intellectual disability. Parent and teacher DBC ratings on a combined sample of 1536 Dutch and Australian children and adolescents (ages 3-22) with mild to profound intellectual disability were used. Principal components analyses produced five subscales: Disruptive/Antisocial, Self-Absorbed. Communication Disturbance, Anxiety, and Social Relating, explaining 43.7% of the total variance. Internal consistencies of these subscales ranged from .66 to .91. The revised factor structure of the DBC appears to be an improved and useful tool for assessing emotional and behavioral problems in children with intellectual disabilities.

There is a growing need for advanced practice mental health and drug and alcohol nursing roles in the care of people living with HIV/AIDS; however, limited publications address these domains. This study evaluated a community-based mental health drug and alcohol nurse role caring for people living with HIV/AIDS (Mental Health D&A Nurse) in a large not-for-profit district nursing organization providing care to people living with HIV/AIDS in an Australian city. Outcomes from a client assessment and 6-8-week follow-up by the Mental Health D&A Nurse are presented as captured by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS 21), Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HONOS) and WHOQoL BREF. Mean scores and caseness were analysed, and significant differences were found on the 'impairment' and 'social problems' subscales of the HONOS. Results of semi-structured interviews with clients describe effective and supportive mental health care and health-promoting education following visits by the Mental Health D&A Nurse. These positive findings support continuing implementation of the role within this community setting and indicate that even greater benefits will ensue as the role develops further. Findings are of interest to clinicians and policy makers seeking to implement similar roles in community-based HIV/AIDS care.

No abstract