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The diagnostic odyssey for children living with a rare disease – Caregiver and patient perspectives: A narrative review with recommendationsChildren living with a rare disease often endure a lengthy journey to diagnosis, commonly referred to as a diagnostic odyssey. This journey significantly impacts their physical, mental and financial wellbeing, in addition to that of their families. The diagnostic odyssey is often characterised by anxiety and stress surrounding the uncertainty of the future. This is experienced by the patient as well as by the family.
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What supports are people with intellectual disability living in group homes provided to access health care? A case studyPeople with intellectual disabilities living in group homes often have complex health needs, are high health service users and need support from their service provider to access health services. In Australia, little is known about the types and amounts of these supports.
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Understanding and optimising gratitude interventions: the right methods for the right people at the right timeGratitude has consistently been associated with various beneficial health-related outcomes, including subjective wellbeing, positive mental health, and positive physical health. In light of such effects, positive psychology researchers and practitioners have often implemented gratitude interventions in an attempt to build individuals' orientations toward appreciation and thankfulness. Recent meta-analyses and reviews have revealed, however, that these interventions often have mixed effects on gratitude or other health outcomes.
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The Polish version of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire-Short Form (PAQ-S): psychometric properties and normsAlexithymia is a trait involving difficulties identifying feelings, difficulties describing feelings, and an externally orientated thinking style. It is an important risk factor for a range of psychopathologies, and its assessment is therefore important in research and clinical settings. Originally created in English, the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire-Short Form (PAQ-S) is a brief 6-item self-report measure of alexithymia.
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Genotype and sleep independently predict mental health in Rett syndrome: An observational studyRett syndrome is a genetically caused neurodevelopmental disorder associated with severe impairments and complex comorbidities. This study examined predictors of anxiety and depression in Rett syndrome, including genotype.
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Predicting Problem Gambling in Young Men: The Impact of Sports Gambling Frequency and Internalizing SymptomsYoung men aged 18-25 years are at disproportionately increased risk for gambling problems compared to their older or female counterparts. The unique mechanisms that precipitate these problems in this group remain unclear. Data from the largest longitudinal cohort study on Australian men's health (the Ten to Men Study) were used to identify the psychosocial, health-related, and gambling-related behavioral predictors of problem gambling severity in 265 young men aged 18-25 years. Hierarchical multiple ordinal logistic regression analyses found these predictors to explain a moderate proportion of variance in problem gambling severity.
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“Society really does not like people with psychosis”: A thematic analysis of the stigma and self-stigma experiences of young people at-risk for psychosisStigma and self-stigma reduce self-esteem and increase hopelessness and suicidality. While psychotic disorders are widely recognized as the most stigmatizing of all mental health disorders, there is a dearth of research investigating how stigma and self-stigma are experienced by young people at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis.
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Determining the Mental Wellbeing of Family Day Care Educators in AustraliaFamily Day Care (FDC) is an essential service supporting Australian families requiring convenient, versatile, and quality education and care for their children. FDC educators’ mental wellbeing (MWB), often overlooked, is vital to ensure optimal education and care. This study aimed to gauge Australian FDC educators’ MWB and identify factors positively or negatively affecting MWB.
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Co-occurring Neurodevelopmental Conditions in Children: Advocating for Transdiagnostic Approach to AssessmentsApproximately 8% of all children experience developmental and mental health conditions. Similarities in characteristics across neurodevelopmental conditions-such as difficulties in communication and language, social interaction, motor coordination, attention, activity regulation, behavior, mood, and sleep-make it challenging to attribute these characteristics exclusively to specific diagnoses and assessments. The purpose of this study was to identify symptomatic domains across neurodevelopmental conditions in children and to explore dimension reduction for transdiagnostic assessment.
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Characterizing the Nature of Alexithymia in Autistic Adults: Validation of the Perth Alexithymia QuestionnaireAlexithymia—a trait characterized by difficulties in emotion processing—is of high interest in the autism field. However, the lack of validated alexithymia measures for autistic individuals limits progress. This study aimed to address this gap by examining the psychometric properties of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) across autistic and non-autistic samples. Using the PAQ, we investigated how alexithymia manifests in autistic individuals and its links with poor mental health outcomes (anxiety).