There are many benefits of multi-centred research including large sample sizes, statistical power... more There are many benefits of multi-centred research including large sample sizes, statistical power, timely recruitment and generalisability of results. However, there are numerous considerations when planning and implementing a multi-centred study. This article reviews the challenges and successes of planning and implementing a multi-centred prospective randomised control trial involving an industry partner. The research investigated the impact on psychosocial functioning of a cosmetic camouflage product for children and adolescents with burn scarring. Multi-centred studies commonly have many stakeholders. Within this study, six Australian and New Zealand paediatric burn units as well as an industry partner were involved. The inclusion of an industry partner added complexities as they brought different priorities and expectations to the research. Further, multifaceted ethical and institutional approval processes needed to be negotiated. The challenges, successes, lessons learned and recommendations from this study regarding Australian and New Zealand ethics and research governance approval processes, collaboration with industry partners and the management of differing expectations will be outlined. Recommendations for future multi-centred research with industry partners include provision of regular written reports for the industry partner; continual monitoring and prompt resolution of concerns; basic research practices education for industry partners; minimisation of industry partner contact with participants; clear roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders and utilisation of single ethical review if available.
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2017
Sixty provisional clinical psychologists in Indonesia were emailed to seek their participation in... more Sixty provisional clinical psychologists in Indonesia were emailed to seek their participation in an online-questionnaire that reflected: CAM knowledge, attitudes CAM, and CAM behaviours. Of the 60 participants approached, 44 with majority of female (95%) completed the questionnaire. The mean age of participants was 25 years. Overall, participants reported low knowledge of CAM and attitudes towards CAM were positive. While 73% reported having recommended CAM to their clients, only 39% had ever made referral. Most of the participants (98%) had used CAM personally but just over half (59%) had ever used it in clinical practice. It was found that knowledge and attitudes towards CAM did not predict CAM recommendation, personal use, nor professional use among the participants. However, CAM knowledge was found to predict CAM referrals. It is assumed that positive attitudes towards CAM integration among participants has been conflicted with their concern for CAM safety.
This study aimed to evaluate questionnaire development to measure the knowledge of Complementary-... more This study aimed to evaluate questionnaire development to measure the knowledge of Complementary-Alternative Medicine (CAM), attitudes towards CAM, CAM experiences, and CAM educational needs of clinical psychologists in Indonesia. A 26-item questionnaire was developed through an extensive literature search. Data was obtained from provisional psychologists from the Master of Professional Clinical Psychology programs at two established public universities in urban areas of Indonesia. To validate the questionnaire, panel reviews by executive members of the Indonesian Clinical Psychology Association (ICPA), experts in health psychology, and experts in public health and CAM provided their professional judgements. The self-reporting questionnaire consisted of four scales including: knowledge of CAM (6 items), attitudes towards CAM (10 items), CAM experiences (4 items), and CAM educational needs (6 items). All scales, except CAM Experiences, were assessed on a 7-point Likert scale. Sixty provisional psychologists were eligible to complete the questionnaire with a response rate of 73% (N = 44). The results showed that the CAM questionnaire was reliable (Cronbach's coefficient alpha range = 0.62-0.96; item-total correlation range = 0.14-0.92) and demonstrated content validity. Following further psychometric evaluation, the CAM questionnaire may provide the evidence-based information to inform the education and practice of Indonesian clinical psychologists.
This study examined the profile of psychological maladjustment among 12-year-old Sinhala speaking... more This study examined the profile of psychological maladjustment among 12-year-old Sinhala speaking children in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka. The children (N=1226) were selected from government schools in the Colombo district, using a stratified random sampling technique. The Personality Assessment Questionnaire, a self-administered instrument shown to have good psychometric properties, was adapted and validated to the Sri Lankan context and was then used in the study survey. Nearly half of the children in the study were psychologically maladjusted. Among the seven personality dimensions in the instrument that assessed psychological maladjustment, a majority of children had a deficit in the personality dimensions of independence and emotional stability. The paper discusses the possible reasons for these findings.
The objective of this study was to explore the existence and, if so, the nature of the associatio... more The objective of this study was to explore the existence and, if so, the nature of the association between parental use of psychological aggression and psychological maladjustment in a 12-year-old Sri Lankan school population. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 1,226 children from Colombo district schools. Three instruments, validated in the Sri Lankan context, were used to collect data on children's experience of psychological aggression, its psychological outcomes, and psychosocial correlates. The annual prevalence of psychological aggression reported by the study sample was 75%. A predictive model for psychological outcomes was examined. The experience of psychological aggression was shown to be moderately, but directly and significantly, associated with psychological maladjustment in children. This association was mediated by non-parentto-child violence-the child's knowledge of violence between the parents, experience of teacher violence, exposure to peer violence, and violence in the child's community. However, the child's report of a nurturant Downloaded from Zoysa et al.
To study the association between parental corporal punishment and psychological maladjustment in ... more To study the association between parental corporal punishment and psychological maladjustment in children. Potential mediating variables of this association were explored. The relationship between corporal punishment and physical abuse was also investigated. DESIGN, SETTING AND SAMPLE: The children (N = 1226, 12-year olds) were selected from government schools in the Colombo district, using a stratified random sampling technique. Self-administered instruments, adapted and validated to the Sri Lankan context were used. The experience of parental corporal punishment was shown to be moderately, but significantly, associated with psychological maladjustment in children. This association was enhanced by the child witnessing or experiencing non-parent-to-child violence (eg. domestic, community, teacher and peer violence). The extent of the child's support network, the nature of the parent-child relationship and the child's attitude to corporal punishment did not significantly alte...
The objective of this study was to adapt and validate the child version of the Personality Assess... more The objective of this study was to adapt and validate the child version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire with12-year-old Sinhala speaking school children in Sri Lanka. Content and consensual validity was determined by the Delphi Process. Criterion validity was determined by the degree of consensus between a clinical psychologist's assessment and respondent's total score on the instrument. Test-retest and internal consistency reliability were determined in two ways -a large group administration and a small group administration. The instrument showed satisfactory content and consensual validity. The cut-off score for the Sinhala version of the Child PAQ was determined as 89, at a sensitivity of 71.1% and specificity of 69.4% (95% confidence interval). The validated version's full scale test-retest and internal consistency reliability were satisfactory. The instrument is best administered in small rather than in large groups of respondents.
Quality of life (QoL) measures are an important patient-relevant outcome measure for clinical stu... more Quality of life (QoL) measures are an important patient-relevant outcome measure for clinical studies. Cough is the most common symptom that results in new medical consultations. Although adult and parent-proxy cough-specific QoL instruments have been shown to be a useful cough outcome measure, no suitable cough-specific QoL measure for children with chronic cough exists. We report on the statistical properties of a chronic cough-specific QoL (CC-QoL) questionnaire for children. 130 children (median age 10 years, IQR 8-12 years; 65 girls) participated. A preliminary 37-item version was developed from conversations with children with chronic cough (>4 weeks). Children also completed generic QoL questionnaires (Pediatric QoL Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL4.0), Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS)) and cough diary scores. The clinical impact method of item reduction resulted in 16 items that had excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.94) among these items and also within each domain. Evidence for construct and criterion validity was established with significant correlations between CC-QoL subscales with cough scores, PedsQL and SCAS scores. CC-QoL scores were sensitive to change following an intervention and significant differences were noted between those children coughing and those who had ceased coughing. Minimum important difference (MID) for overall and domain CC-QoL ranged from 0.37-1.36 (distribution-based approach) to 1.11-1.58 (anchor-based approach). Chronic cough significantly impacts the QoL of children. The CC-QoL is a reliable, valid and sensitive to change outcome measure that assesses QoL from the child's perspective. Pending data from a confirmatory cohort, a MID for the CC-QoL of 1.1 is recommended when evaluating health status change.
This study translated and validated the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) among 13 to 18 y... more This study translated and validated the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) among 13 to 18 year old Sri Lankan adolescents attending school. A standard systematic translation procedure was followed to translate the original SURPS into Sinhala language. A Delphi process was conducted to determine judgmental validity of Sinhala SURPS. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the translated version against the original theoretical model of the SURPS. Test-retest and internal consistency were used to ensure reliability. A few terms in one of the items posed some difficulty in translating into Sinhala. Adequate judgmental validity was determined except for one item, which was modified to suit the Sri Lankan setting. The four subscales introversion/ hopelessness, impulsivity, sensation seeking and anxiety sensitivity showed satisfactory test-retest reliability estimates of .74, .68, .76, and .88, respectively. The Sinhala SURPS is applicable in Sri Lankan context. Several implications based on the results are discussed.
Personality has become an increasingly important area in sport psychology as attempts are made to... more Personality has become an increasingly important area in sport psychology as attempts are made to understand, explain, and predict levels of sporting involvement and success. To further understand these relationships, 312 Grade 11 and 12 students completed a battery of personality and mood-state inventories consisting of the STAI, EPQ and POMS, and were then categorized by (i) participation in sport, (ii) type of sport played, and (iii) level of success experienced. A MANOVA indicated that sports participants exhibited significantly different personality profiles from non-participantsunivariate tests showed that the participants were more extraverted and vigorous, and less anxious, neurotic, depressed and confused. Gender differences noted for sports participants continued across type of sport and success level. Elite athletes were found to have a mood profile significantly different from non-elite athletes, and almost congruent with Morgan's (1980) "iceberg" profile. Results support the view that sports participation is associated with positive mental health.
The impact of workplace stress and the need for work-life balance are increasingly recognised wit... more The impact of workplace stress and the need for work-life balance are increasingly recognised within social work. Recent theorising on work–family interface suggests that work-related stress cannot be contained within the workplace without it impacting on other life domains such as the family. Similarly, it is claimed that family-related issues also affect what happens at work. The present study examined
Chest the Cardiopulmonary and Critical Care Journal, 2010
The Parent Cough-Specific Quality-of-Life questionnaire (PC-QOL) has relevance and clinical utili... more The Parent Cough-Specific Quality-of-Life questionnaire (PC-QOL) has relevance and clinical utility as a cough-specific QOL measure for pediatric use. Its validity has been demonstrated. This study sought to determine the minimally important difference (MID) for the PC-QOL completed by parents of young children with chronic cough. Thirty-four children (22 boys, 12 girls; median age, 26.5 months; interquartile range, 17.3-38.8 months) and their mothers participated. Mothers completed a cough-related measure (verbal category descriptive score) and the PC-QOL on two occasions separated by 2 to 3 weeks. Two approaches were used to calculate MID. Distribution-based approaches to estimating MID resulted in ranges of 0.50 to 0.78 (effect size method), 0.30 to 0.48 (SE of measurement method), and 0.60 to 0.69 (one-half SD method) for PC-QOL overall and domain scales. Based on verbal category descriptive score change, an anchor-based approach resulted in an MID estimate of 0.9 for overall PC-QOL change and ranged from 0.71 to 0.95 for individual domain PC-QOL change. An MID for the PC-QOL of 0.9 is recommended in interpreting health status change in children with chronic cough and will aid clinicians and researchers in interpreting health-related QOL changes following treatments and clinical trials.
• Study results from two stages of a long-term project in Asia and the West• Rationale for the pr... more • Study results from two stages of a long-term project in Asia and the West• Rationale for the project• Explain this stage of the research/procedure• Present results–psychometric properties–concurrent & criterion-related validity–regression analyses of personality on ...
There are many benefits of multi-centred research including large sample sizes, statistical power... more There are many benefits of multi-centred research including large sample sizes, statistical power, timely recruitment and generalisability of results. However, there are numerous considerations when planning and implementing a multi-centred study. This article reviews the challenges and successes of planning and implementing a multi-centred prospective randomised control trial involving an industry partner. The research investigated the impact on psychosocial functioning of a cosmetic camouflage product for children and adolescents with burn scarring. Multi-centred studies commonly have many stakeholders. Within this study, six Australian and New Zealand paediatric burn units as well as an industry partner were involved. The inclusion of an industry partner added complexities as they brought different priorities and expectations to the research. Further, multifaceted ethical and institutional approval processes needed to be negotiated. The challenges, successes, lessons learned and recommendations from this study regarding Australian and New Zealand ethics and research governance approval processes, collaboration with industry partners and the management of differing expectations will be outlined. Recommendations for future multi-centred research with industry partners include provision of regular written reports for the industry partner; continual monitoring and prompt resolution of concerns; basic research practices education for industry partners; minimisation of industry partner contact with participants; clear roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders and utilisation of single ethical review if available.
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2017
Sixty provisional clinical psychologists in Indonesia were emailed to seek their participation in... more Sixty provisional clinical psychologists in Indonesia were emailed to seek their participation in an online-questionnaire that reflected: CAM knowledge, attitudes CAM, and CAM behaviours. Of the 60 participants approached, 44 with majority of female (95%) completed the questionnaire. The mean age of participants was 25 years. Overall, participants reported low knowledge of CAM and attitudes towards CAM were positive. While 73% reported having recommended CAM to their clients, only 39% had ever made referral. Most of the participants (98%) had used CAM personally but just over half (59%) had ever used it in clinical practice. It was found that knowledge and attitudes towards CAM did not predict CAM recommendation, personal use, nor professional use among the participants. However, CAM knowledge was found to predict CAM referrals. It is assumed that positive attitudes towards CAM integration among participants has been conflicted with their concern for CAM safety.
This study aimed to evaluate questionnaire development to measure the knowledge of Complementary-... more This study aimed to evaluate questionnaire development to measure the knowledge of Complementary-Alternative Medicine (CAM), attitudes towards CAM, CAM experiences, and CAM educational needs of clinical psychologists in Indonesia. A 26-item questionnaire was developed through an extensive literature search. Data was obtained from provisional psychologists from the Master of Professional Clinical Psychology programs at two established public universities in urban areas of Indonesia. To validate the questionnaire, panel reviews by executive members of the Indonesian Clinical Psychology Association (ICPA), experts in health psychology, and experts in public health and CAM provided their professional judgements. The self-reporting questionnaire consisted of four scales including: knowledge of CAM (6 items), attitudes towards CAM (10 items), CAM experiences (4 items), and CAM educational needs (6 items). All scales, except CAM Experiences, were assessed on a 7-point Likert scale. Sixty provisional psychologists were eligible to complete the questionnaire with a response rate of 73% (N = 44). The results showed that the CAM questionnaire was reliable (Cronbach's coefficient alpha range = 0.62-0.96; item-total correlation range = 0.14-0.92) and demonstrated content validity. Following further psychometric evaluation, the CAM questionnaire may provide the evidence-based information to inform the education and practice of Indonesian clinical psychologists.
This study examined the profile of psychological maladjustment among 12-year-old Sinhala speaking... more This study examined the profile of psychological maladjustment among 12-year-old Sinhala speaking children in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka. The children (N=1226) were selected from government schools in the Colombo district, using a stratified random sampling technique. The Personality Assessment Questionnaire, a self-administered instrument shown to have good psychometric properties, was adapted and validated to the Sri Lankan context and was then used in the study survey. Nearly half of the children in the study were psychologically maladjusted. Among the seven personality dimensions in the instrument that assessed psychological maladjustment, a majority of children had a deficit in the personality dimensions of independence and emotional stability. The paper discusses the possible reasons for these findings.
The objective of this study was to explore the existence and, if so, the nature of the associatio... more The objective of this study was to explore the existence and, if so, the nature of the association between parental use of psychological aggression and psychological maladjustment in a 12-year-old Sri Lankan school population. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 1,226 children from Colombo district schools. Three instruments, validated in the Sri Lankan context, were used to collect data on children's experience of psychological aggression, its psychological outcomes, and psychosocial correlates. The annual prevalence of psychological aggression reported by the study sample was 75%. A predictive model for psychological outcomes was examined. The experience of psychological aggression was shown to be moderately, but directly and significantly, associated with psychological maladjustment in children. This association was mediated by non-parentto-child violence-the child's knowledge of violence between the parents, experience of teacher violence, exposure to peer violence, and violence in the child's community. However, the child's report of a nurturant Downloaded from Zoysa et al.
To study the association between parental corporal punishment and psychological maladjustment in ... more To study the association between parental corporal punishment and psychological maladjustment in children. Potential mediating variables of this association were explored. The relationship between corporal punishment and physical abuse was also investigated. DESIGN, SETTING AND SAMPLE: The children (N = 1226, 12-year olds) were selected from government schools in the Colombo district, using a stratified random sampling technique. Self-administered instruments, adapted and validated to the Sri Lankan context were used. The experience of parental corporal punishment was shown to be moderately, but significantly, associated with psychological maladjustment in children. This association was enhanced by the child witnessing or experiencing non-parent-to-child violence (eg. domestic, community, teacher and peer violence). The extent of the child's support network, the nature of the parent-child relationship and the child's attitude to corporal punishment did not significantly alte...
The objective of this study was to adapt and validate the child version of the Personality Assess... more The objective of this study was to adapt and validate the child version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire with12-year-old Sinhala speaking school children in Sri Lanka. Content and consensual validity was determined by the Delphi Process. Criterion validity was determined by the degree of consensus between a clinical psychologist's assessment and respondent's total score on the instrument. Test-retest and internal consistency reliability were determined in two ways -a large group administration and a small group administration. The instrument showed satisfactory content and consensual validity. The cut-off score for the Sinhala version of the Child PAQ was determined as 89, at a sensitivity of 71.1% and specificity of 69.4% (95% confidence interval). The validated version's full scale test-retest and internal consistency reliability were satisfactory. The instrument is best administered in small rather than in large groups of respondents.
Quality of life (QoL) measures are an important patient-relevant outcome measure for clinical stu... more Quality of life (QoL) measures are an important patient-relevant outcome measure for clinical studies. Cough is the most common symptom that results in new medical consultations. Although adult and parent-proxy cough-specific QoL instruments have been shown to be a useful cough outcome measure, no suitable cough-specific QoL measure for children with chronic cough exists. We report on the statistical properties of a chronic cough-specific QoL (CC-QoL) questionnaire for children. 130 children (median age 10 years, IQR 8-12 years; 65 girls) participated. A preliminary 37-item version was developed from conversations with children with chronic cough (>4 weeks). Children also completed generic QoL questionnaires (Pediatric QoL Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL4.0), Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS)) and cough diary scores. The clinical impact method of item reduction resulted in 16 items that had excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.94) among these items and also within each domain. Evidence for construct and criterion validity was established with significant correlations between CC-QoL subscales with cough scores, PedsQL and SCAS scores. CC-QoL scores were sensitive to change following an intervention and significant differences were noted between those children coughing and those who had ceased coughing. Minimum important difference (MID) for overall and domain CC-QoL ranged from 0.37-1.36 (distribution-based approach) to 1.11-1.58 (anchor-based approach). Chronic cough significantly impacts the QoL of children. The CC-QoL is a reliable, valid and sensitive to change outcome measure that assesses QoL from the child's perspective. Pending data from a confirmatory cohort, a MID for the CC-QoL of 1.1 is recommended when evaluating health status change.
This study translated and validated the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) among 13 to 18 y... more This study translated and validated the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) among 13 to 18 year old Sri Lankan adolescents attending school. A standard systematic translation procedure was followed to translate the original SURPS into Sinhala language. A Delphi process was conducted to determine judgmental validity of Sinhala SURPS. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the translated version against the original theoretical model of the SURPS. Test-retest and internal consistency were used to ensure reliability. A few terms in one of the items posed some difficulty in translating into Sinhala. Adequate judgmental validity was determined except for one item, which was modified to suit the Sri Lankan setting. The four subscales introversion/ hopelessness, impulsivity, sensation seeking and anxiety sensitivity showed satisfactory test-retest reliability estimates of .74, .68, .76, and .88, respectively. The Sinhala SURPS is applicable in Sri Lankan context. Several implications based on the results are discussed.
Personality has become an increasingly important area in sport psychology as attempts are made to... more Personality has become an increasingly important area in sport psychology as attempts are made to understand, explain, and predict levels of sporting involvement and success. To further understand these relationships, 312 Grade 11 and 12 students completed a battery of personality and mood-state inventories consisting of the STAI, EPQ and POMS, and were then categorized by (i) participation in sport, (ii) type of sport played, and (iii) level of success experienced. A MANOVA indicated that sports participants exhibited significantly different personality profiles from non-participantsunivariate tests showed that the participants were more extraverted and vigorous, and less anxious, neurotic, depressed and confused. Gender differences noted for sports participants continued across type of sport and success level. Elite athletes were found to have a mood profile significantly different from non-elite athletes, and almost congruent with Morgan's (1980) "iceberg" profile. Results support the view that sports participation is associated with positive mental health.
The impact of workplace stress and the need for work-life balance are increasingly recognised wit... more The impact of workplace stress and the need for work-life balance are increasingly recognised within social work. Recent theorising on work–family interface suggests that work-related stress cannot be contained within the workplace without it impacting on other life domains such as the family. Similarly, it is claimed that family-related issues also affect what happens at work. The present study examined
Chest the Cardiopulmonary and Critical Care Journal, 2010
The Parent Cough-Specific Quality-of-Life questionnaire (PC-QOL) has relevance and clinical utili... more The Parent Cough-Specific Quality-of-Life questionnaire (PC-QOL) has relevance and clinical utility as a cough-specific QOL measure for pediatric use. Its validity has been demonstrated. This study sought to determine the minimally important difference (MID) for the PC-QOL completed by parents of young children with chronic cough. Thirty-four children (22 boys, 12 girls; median age, 26.5 months; interquartile range, 17.3-38.8 months) and their mothers participated. Mothers completed a cough-related measure (verbal category descriptive score) and the PC-QOL on two occasions separated by 2 to 3 weeks. Two approaches were used to calculate MID. Distribution-based approaches to estimating MID resulted in ranges of 0.50 to 0.78 (effect size method), 0.30 to 0.48 (SE of measurement method), and 0.60 to 0.69 (one-half SD method) for PC-QOL overall and domain scales. Based on verbal category descriptive score change, an anchor-based approach resulted in an MID estimate of 0.9 for overall PC-QOL change and ranged from 0.71 to 0.95 for individual domain PC-QOL change. An MID for the PC-QOL of 0.9 is recommended in interpreting health status change in children with chronic cough and will aid clinicians and researchers in interpreting health-related QOL changes following treatments and clinical trials.
• Study results from two stages of a long-term project in Asia and the West• Rationale for the pr... more • Study results from two stages of a long-term project in Asia and the West• Rationale for the project• Explain this stage of the research/procedure• Present results–psychometric properties–concurrent & criterion-related validity–regression analyses of personality on ...
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Papers by Peter Newcombe