Psychological and Cognitive Assessment of Indigenous Australians

Dingwall, Kylie; Cairney, Sheree

doi:10.3109/00048670903393670

Cited by 66 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…The results may not be generalizable to other indigenous cultures and perhaps not even to urban indigenous people in this same culture. Diagnostic measurement is also a concern [23]. It is possible that behavioral measures such as those for SUD and disruptive behaviors are more valid in this culture than measures pertaining to feelings and emotional states.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental and substance use disorders from early adolescence to young adulthood among indigenous young people: final diagnostic results from an 8-year panel study

Whitbeck

Sittner

Crawford

et al. 2014

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

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Objective Our objective was to investigate change in prevalence rates for mental and substance abuse disorders between early adolescence and young adulthood in a cohort of indigenous adolescents who participated in an 8-year panel study. Method The data are from a lagged, sequential study of 671 indigenous adolescents (Wave 1) from a single culture in the Northern Midwest USA and Canada. At Wave 1 (mean age 11.3 years, Wave 4 (mean age 14.3 years), Wave 6 (mean age 16.2 years), and at Wave 8 (mean age 18.3 years) the tribally enrolled adolescents completed a computer-assisted personal interview that included DISC-R assessment for 11 diagnoses. Our yearly retention rates by diagnostic wave were: Wave 2, 94.7 %; Wave 4, 87.7 %; Wave 6, 88.0 %; Wave 8, 78.5 %. Results The findings show a dramatic increase in lifetime prevalence rates for substance use disorders. By young adulthood, over half had met criteria of substance abuse or dependence disorder. Also at young adulthood, 58.2 % had met lifetime criteria of a single substance use or mental disorder and 37.2 % for two or more substance use or mental disorders. The results are compared to other indigenous diagnostic studies and to the general population. Conclusions A mental health crisis exists within the indigenous populations that participated in this study. Innovations within current mental health service systems are needed to address the unmet demand of adolescents and families.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental and substance use disorders from early adolescence to young adulthood among indigenous young people: final diagnostic results from an 8-year panel study

Whitbeck

Sittner

Crawford

et al. 2014

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…This study was unique because it fulfilled the criteria of cultural and ecological validity by applying testing procedures that were compatible with each group's particular culture (Dingwall & Cairney, 2010). This included the cultivation of prior social connections with the community before the commencement of experimentation, and the selection of testing activities that were familiar to the participants (Kearins, 1986).…”

Section: Learner Characteristics Of Indigenous Peoplementioning

confidence: 99%

New Digital Technologies: Educational Opportunities for Australian Indigenous Learners

Watson

2013

AJIE

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This article presents a number of possibilities that digital technologies can offer to increase access for Indigenous people to higher education in Australia. Such technologies can assist Indigenous high school students acquire the knowledge and skills they require to be accepted into higher education courses. They can also assist Indigenous students to be more successful in their higher education studies. While this article is contextualised to the Australian higher education setting specifically, the principles derived within may be applied to other disadvantaged groups worldwide. It may be concluded that the despite the barriers to the uptake of digital technologies, the potential offered holds much promise for such groups. In Australia, Indigenous people are the most severely under-represented in higher education, with access rates that have been declining over the past 6 years. Therefore, this issue has been classified as a matter of the highest national priority (Bradley, Noonan, Nugent, & Scales, 2008, p. 16). Concurrently, evidence is mounting that digital learning environments are able to produce positive learning outcomes for Indigenous students, albeit with a number of barriers to their uptake. This literature review explores: current trends in digital technologies and tertiary instructional practices, barriers to the uptake of digital technologies for Indigenous learners in Australia, and the potential of digital technologies for accommodating Indigenous learning styles. A number of implications for practice are discussed, based on the review of the literature.

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“…Few screening instruments have been designed to measure the prevalence of psychological disorders in adult Indigenous Australian populations [6]. A notable exception was a small study [7] that adapted the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) [8] for use in a Darwin-based Aboriginal community controlled health service.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression in Aboriginal men in central Australia: adaptation of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9

et al. 2013

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BackgroundWhile Indigenous Australians are believed to be at a high risk of psychological illness, few screening instruments have been designed to accurately measure this burden. Rather than simply transposing western labels of symptoms, this paper describes the process by which a screening tool for depression was specifically adapted for use across multiple Indigenous Australian communities.MethodPotential depression screening instruments were identified and interrogated according to a set of pre-defined criteria. A structured process was then developed which relied on the expertise of five focus groups comprising of members from primary Indigenous language groups in central Australia. First, focus group participants were asked to review and select a screening measure for adaptation. Bi-lingual experts then translated and back translated the language within the selected measure. Focus group participants re-visited the difficult items, explored their meaning and identified potential ways to achieve equivalence of meaning.ResultsAll five focus groups independently selected the Primary Health Questionnaire 9, several key conceptual differences were exposed, largely related to the construction of hopelessness. Together with translated versions of each instrument for each of the five languages, a single, simplified English version for use across heterogeneous settings was negotiated. Importantly, the ‘code’ and specific conceptually equivalent words that could be used for other Indigenous language groups were also developed.ConclusionsThe extensive process of adaptation used in this study has demonstrated that within the context of Indigenous Australian communities, across multiple language groups, where English is often a third or fourth language, conceptual and linguistic equivalence of psychological constructs can be negotiated. A validation study is now required to assess the adapted instrument’s potential for measuring the burden of disease across all Indigenous Australian populations.

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Psychological and Cognitive Assessment of Indigenous Australians

Abstract: Further research and development is necessary to establish a national approach to assessing or screening mental health and cognitive function among Indigenous Australians. This is an important and necessary step to improve mental health and related services for Indigenous Australians.

Cited by 66 publications

References 53 publications

Mental and substance use disorders from early adolescence to young adulthood among indigenous young people: final diagnostic results from an 8-year panel study

Mental and substance use disorders from early adolescence to young adulthood among indigenous young people: final diagnostic results from an 8-year panel study

New Digital Technologies: Educational Opportunities for Australian Indigenous Learners

Depression in Aboriginal men in central Australia: adaptation of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9

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