Here and Now Aboriginal Assessment: background, development and preliminary evaluation of a culturally appropriate screening tool

Janča, Aleksandar; Lyons, Zaza; Balaratnasingam, Sivasankaran; Parfitt, Dora; Davison, Sophie; Laugharne, Jonathan

doi:10.1177/1039856215584514

Cited by 28 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…A number of Indigenous developed/adapted screening tools are available (24, 34, 35). But there is concern that screening should occur as just one part of a broader culturally competent assessment process entailing: (1) formal training in culturally appropriate assessment; (2) a comprehensive client interview to explain and determine the appropriate assessment processes and any required screening; (3) reflective documentation of the process; and (4) interpretation and reporting of results using cultural explanations and avoidance of labeling (36).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the assessment and management of SEWB is a complex and challenging task, due in part to a paucity of evidence about what might be considered evidence-based SEWB practice (22). There is an absence of national guidelines for SEWB screening and management (23), a paucity of suitable assessment tools (24), and a small number of published service or program evaluations (22). Given the lack of evidence, PHSs have managed SEWB concerns among their patients through diverse strategies such as formal screening approaches routinely or through health checks or informal and opportunistic screening.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social and Emotional Wellbeing Screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within Primary Health Care: A Series of Missed Opportunities?

Langham

McCalman

Matthews

et al. 2017

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundSocial and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) is a critical determinant of health outcomes for Indigenous Australians. This study examined the extent to which primary healthcare services (PHSs) undertake SEWB screening and management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients, and the variation in SEWB screening and management across Indigenous PHS.MethodsCross-sectional analysis between 2012 and 2014 of 3,407 Indigenous client records from a non-representative sample of 100 PHSs in 4 Australian states/territory was undertaken to examine variation in the documentation of: (1) SEWB screening using identified measurement instruments, (2) concern regarding SEWB, (3) actions in response to concern, and (4) follow up actions. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with screening.ResultsThe largest variation in SEWB screening occurred at the state/territory level. The mean rate of screening across the sample was 26.6%, ranging from 13.7 to 37.1%. Variation was also related to PHS characteristics. A mean prevalence of identified SEWB concern was 13% across the sample, ranging from 9 to 45.1%. For the clients where SEWB concern was noted, 25.4% had no referral or PHS action recorded. Subsequent internal PHS follow up after 1 month occurred in 54.7% of cases; and six-monthly follow up of referrals to external services occurred in 50.9% of cases.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the lack of a clear model or set of guidelines on best practice for screening for SEWB in Indigenous health may contribute to the wide variation in SEWB service provision. The results tell a story of missed opportunities: 73.4% of clients were not screened and no further action was taken for 25.4% for whom an SEWB concern was identified. There was no follow up for just under half of those for whom action was taken. There is a need for the development of national best practice guidelines for SEWB screening and management, accompanied by dedicated SEWB funding, and training for health service providers as well as ongoing monitoring of adherence with the guidelines. Further research on barriers to screening and follow up actions is also warranted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social and Emotional Wellbeing Screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within Primary Health Care: A Series of Missed Opportunities?

Langham

McCalman

Matthews

et al. 2017

Front. Public Health

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“…A small number of culturally validated measures (e.g. the Here and Now Aboriginal Assessment, Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist, Strong Souls Inventory, Negative Life Events Scale) have been developed, implemented and evaluated in relation to assessing various domains of SEWB (Janca et al 2015;Kowal, Gunthorpe & Bailie 2007;Newton et al 2015) and how they change over time as a result of the very few promising programs and services within Australia (Day & Francisco 2013;Day et al 2016;Skerrett et al 2017). However, while beneficial to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and peoples, their applicability, feasibility, reliability and validity within the context of out-ofhome care warrants further investigation.…”

Section: Psychological Assessments and Outcome Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychology without culture is almost dead: A case of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australian out-of-home care

Hameed

Coade

2018

IJCIS

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From its inception as a unique discipline, the broad field of psychology has made substantial advances and has contributed to innovative practices in the care of individuals presenting with mental distress within Western Euro-American societies and cultures. The aim of this brief article is to provide a constructive critical analysis of the key limitations, knowledge shortfalls, ineffective assessment approaches and treatment modalities of “mainstream” psychology in addressing the psychological needs of children affiliating with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Australian out-of-home care. This article selectively draws from an in-depth analysis of the research literature and argues that in its current state, psychology without consideration of Indigenous culture has failed to satisfactorily improve psychological services and outcomes for these children and their families; in other words, psychology without culture is almost dead. This brief article raises various questions for future psychological research within this field and proposes feasible alternatives to these complex issues, supported by successful examples from the child abuse and neglect domain within the child welfare systems in Australia. It concludes with key recommendations for future appropriate inclusive psychological research, with the ultimate goal of strengthening culturally endorsed “healing” practices, service delivery and policies.

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“…The development of the KMMS is part of a broader movement driven by Aboriginal communities, health professionals and researchers to have clinical screening tools that account for and are responsive to the needs and context of Aboriginal patients. This includes studies that are examining the validity of 'mainstream' screening tools with Aboriginal populations (18,19); adaptation studies which validate an 'Aboriginal version' of an existing tool (17,20,21); and the development and validation of new Aboriginal specific screening tools (22)(23)(24). These and other emerging endeavours Several studies detailing the development and validation of Aboriginal specific screening tools have been published (17,19,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25), few studies however, report on the process and outcomes of clinical implementation (26,27).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why validation is not enough: setting the scene for the implementation of the Kimberley Mum´s Mood Scale

Carlin

Spry

Atkinson

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background The two part Kimberley Mums’ Mood Scale (KMMS) has been developed and validated as a culturally appropriate perinatal depression and anxiety screening tool for Aboriginal women living in the sparsely populated Kimberley region of North West Australia. As part of implementation, aspects of user acceptability were explored to improve clinical utilisation of the KMMS. Methods Eighteen health professionals involved in perinatal care participated in an online survey or a qualitative semi-structured interview. Ten Aboriginal women (who held administrative, professional or executive roles) were subsequently interviewed in depth to further explore aspects of KMMS user acceptability. Results Many of the health professionals were not using the second part of the KMMS (a psychosocial yarning tool). Time constraints and a perception that the KMMS is only appropriate for women with literacy issues were identified as significant barriers to KMMS uptake. The Aboriginal women interviewed considered the KMMS to also be important for literate Aboriginal women and placed high value on having the time and space to yarn to health professionals about issues that are important to them. Implementing the KMMS across the Kimberley region requires robust training of health professionals and strategic engagement with health services to ensure those clinical environments are able to understand the rationale and significance of the KMMS and be engaged in its successful implementation. Conclusion Routine perinatal mental health screening that is efficacious and acceptable to Aboriginal women is an important public health priority. Identifying and addressing barriers to implementation contributes to our understanding of the complexity of improving routine clinical practise.

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Here and Now Aboriginal Assessment: background, development and preliminary evaluation of a culturally appropriate screening tool

Abstract: The HANAA is a culturally appropriate and useful tool for the screening of SEWB among Aboriginal adults. It can also be used for teaching and training purposes of mental health and other professionals working with Aboriginal people.

Cited by 28 publications

References 4 publications

Social and Emotional Wellbeing Screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within Primary Health Care: A Series of Missed Opportunities?

Social and Emotional Wellbeing Screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within Primary Health Care: A Series of Missed Opportunities?

Psychology without culture is almost dead: A case of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australian out-of-home care

Why validation is not enough: setting the scene for the implementation of the Kimberley Mum´s Mood Scale

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