Sally Nathan - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Sally Nathan
International Journal of Drug Policy, 2020
Additional file 1. Interview topic guide for Key-informants.
Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2015
Australian Journal of Rural Health, 2021
OBJECTIVE Growing a strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce is key to closi... more OBJECTIVE Growing a strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce is key to closing the gap in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This study sought to explore barriers and enablers to career development for Aboriginal health staff and potential strategies to enhance career pathways. DESIGN Qualitative study, with data collected primarily through focus group discussions (yarning circles) at different health workplaces. SETTING Western New South Wales. PARTICIPANTS Aboriginal health staff (n = 54) from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, a Local Health District and a Primary Health Network, and their managers (Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal; n = 28). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Identified barriers and enablers and regional strategies for improving career pathways. RESULTS Aboriginal people interested in pursuing a career in health face barriers in: pre-employment, recruitment, the workplace and further education and training. Being given practical and emotional support, as well as opportunities, makes a difference at every stage. Family and community are very influential in career decisions. Within the workplace, culturally appropriate human resource systems and management structures are vital. The ability to obtain employment and access education and training locally is important to rural and remote communities. CONCLUSION To enhance health career pathways for Aboriginal people, strategies are needed at all levels: community, organisation, system and society. Aboriginal leadership and self-determination are crucial, as are partnerships within the health sector and between the health and the education and training sectors. Cultural safety is essential to expansion of the Aboriginal workforce, and to health care experiences and outcomes for Aboriginal community members.
Authors' original file for figure 2
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2022
This study examines the association between treatment in a therapeutic community for adolescents ... more This study examines the association between treatment in a therapeutic community for adolescents with drug and alcohol problems on hospitalisation outcomes up to 15 years later for all clients, and separately for those with and without a history of criminal conviction. A quasi-experimental design was used to examine the linked administrative health and criminal justice records for all adolescents admitted to the Program for Adolescent Life Management (PALM) from January 2001 to December 2016 (n = 3059) in Sydney, Australia. ICD-10AM codes were used to designate hospitalisation outcomes as either physical injury, mental health problems, substance use disorders, or organic illness. The treatment and comparison groups were matched on factors associated with program retention, resulting in a final sample of 1266 clients. We examined the rate of hospitalisation up to 15 years posttreatment for all clients and stratified by prior conviction status using Cox regression analyses. The treatment group had significantly lower rates of hospitalisation for a physical injury (HR = 0.77 [95% CI = 0.61-0.98]), mental health problem (HR = 0.62 [95% CI = 0.47-0.81]), substance use disorder (HR = 0.59 [95% CI = 0.47-0.75]), and organic illness (HR = 0.71 [95% CI = 0.55-0.92]). There was a significant interaction between treatment and prior criminal conviction status on rate of hospitalisation for physical injury, suggesting that the effect of treatment on physical injury was significantly greater for clients with a prior criminal conviction. Adolescents who engage in a therapeutic community treatment program may have a long-lasting reduction in the risk of subsequent hospitalisation. This also appears to apply to those with a history of criminal conviction.
Background: Men are at greater risk than women of dying by suicide. One in eight will experience ... more Background: Men are at greater risk than women of dying by suicide. One in eight will experience depression – a leading contributor to suicide – in their lifetime and men often delay seeking treatment. Previous research has focused on men’s use of unhelpful coping strategies, with little emphasis on men’s productive responses. The present study examines the positive strategies men use to prevent and manage depression. Method: A national online survey investigated Australian men’s use of positive strategies, including 26 strategies specifically nominated by men in a previous qualitative study. Data were collected regarding frequency of use or openness to using untried strategies, depression risk, depression symptoms, demographic factors, and other strategies suggested by men. Multivariate regression analyses explored relationships between regular use of strategies and other variables. Results: In total, 465 men aged between 18 and 74 years participated. The mean number of strategies ...
quasi-experimental mixed methods design to evaluate a complex health promotion program
PLoS ONE, 2020
Objectives To overcome key knowledge gaps in relation to justice involved and vulnerable young pe... more Objectives To overcome key knowledge gaps in relation to justice involved and vulnerable young people and their sexual health and to compare this group with their peers from other youth health surveys in Australia to determine the extent of the issues. Methods Young people, aged between 14 and 17 years, who had ever been or were currently involved with the criminal justice system were purposively sampled. The survey was anonymous and delivered using Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI). Results A total of 465 justice involved MeH-JOSH young people, aged between 14 and 17 years, participated in the study: 44% Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) and 37% not attending school. Of the total valid responses, 76% (n = 348) reported having ever had sex, with sexual initiation at a median age of 14 years. We compared these data with their peers in other Australian surveys and found that young people in our study had a higher engagement in sex and start having sex at...
Medical Science Educator, 2021
Background There is ongoing debate about best practice models to support active learning by encou... more Background There is ongoing debate about best practice models to support active learning by encouraging medical students to conduct independent research projects. This study explored student satisfaction, experiences, and learning outcomes of a unique, mandatory research program in an Australian medical school. Methods Students were invited to complete an anonymous survey ranking statements using Likert scales and completing open-ended questions. Factors predicting student satisfaction with the research year were analysed using a generalised linear regression model. A content analysis of open-ended questions was conducted. Results The survey was completed in October 2019 by 117 of 252 students (46%). The majority (84%) reported satisfaction with the research year. Factors associated with satisfaction were research skills learnt (OR 2.782, 95% CI 1.428-5.421; p < 0.003), supervision and support (OR = 2.587, 95% CI 1.237-5.413; p < 0.012), and meaningfulness and experience (OR = 2.506, 95% CI 1.100-5.708; p < 0.029). Qualitative results confirmed support from the faculty and supervisors, perceiving their research as meaningful, and the opportunity to learn research skills were highly regarded by students. Conclusions This study has shown that learning outcomes for basic research skills and high satisfaction rates can be achieved in a mandatory undergraduate research programme when students have dedicated time for their research, opportunities to negotiate their own project, and good support from faculty and mentors. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01340-9.
Poster Presentations, 2019
Contemporary Drug Problems, 2019
Crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) has been a fixture in Australian newspapers since the early 2000s... more Crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) has been a fixture in Australian newspapers since the early 2000s. This study explores discourses at work in constructing the ice “problem” in recent Australian media, possible implications for how people who use ice are discursively positioned, and the resulting significance for drug policy. Twenty-seven articles were selected for discourse analysis, sampled from a larger study of Australian ice-related news items. By critically engaging with sociological concepts of “moral panic” and the “risk society,” we demonstrate how three media discourses produce the subject of the “young person” as both victimized by ice and a catastrophic threat in and of themselves: (1) “ice traps and transforms youth,” (2) “ice does not discriminate,” and (3) “ice perverts sanctuary.” These discourses illustrate the tensions between the meanings of ice use and understandings of safety and risk, speaking to current anxieties in Western, neoliberal societies. Ice use is furt...
Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences, 2017
Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Arts-based approaches have not been widely used in the drug and alcohol treatment sector. In this... more Arts-based approaches have not been widely used in the drug and alcohol treatment sector. In this study, we examined the utility of the arts-based method of Body Mapping in an Australian residential treatment centre. Two workshops were held to explore young people’s strengths and support networks in order to improve understandings of young people’s lives, identities and experiences of treatment. Semi-structured follow-up interviews were conducted and triangulated with observational notes and staff interviews. We identified four major themes: engaging through art; removing the mask; revealing strengths; and a sense of achievement. Overall, this study highlighted the value of Body Mapping as an approach to engage with young people, providing rich in-depth data about their lived experiences, including in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment context.
International Journal of Drug Policy, 2020
Additional file 1. Interview topic guide for Key-informants.
Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2015
Australian Journal of Rural Health, 2021
OBJECTIVE Growing a strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce is key to closi... more OBJECTIVE Growing a strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce is key to closing the gap in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This study sought to explore barriers and enablers to career development for Aboriginal health staff and potential strategies to enhance career pathways. DESIGN Qualitative study, with data collected primarily through focus group discussions (yarning circles) at different health workplaces. SETTING Western New South Wales. PARTICIPANTS Aboriginal health staff (n = 54) from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, a Local Health District and a Primary Health Network, and their managers (Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal; n = 28). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Identified barriers and enablers and regional strategies for improving career pathways. RESULTS Aboriginal people interested in pursuing a career in health face barriers in: pre-employment, recruitment, the workplace and further education and training. Being given practical and emotional support, as well as opportunities, makes a difference at every stage. Family and community are very influential in career decisions. Within the workplace, culturally appropriate human resource systems and management structures are vital. The ability to obtain employment and access education and training locally is important to rural and remote communities. CONCLUSION To enhance health career pathways for Aboriginal people, strategies are needed at all levels: community, organisation, system and society. Aboriginal leadership and self-determination are crucial, as are partnerships within the health sector and between the health and the education and training sectors. Cultural safety is essential to expansion of the Aboriginal workforce, and to health care experiences and outcomes for Aboriginal community members.
Authors' original file for figure 2
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2022
This study examines the association between treatment in a therapeutic community for adolescents ... more This study examines the association between treatment in a therapeutic community for adolescents with drug and alcohol problems on hospitalisation outcomes up to 15 years later for all clients, and separately for those with and without a history of criminal conviction. A quasi-experimental design was used to examine the linked administrative health and criminal justice records for all adolescents admitted to the Program for Adolescent Life Management (PALM) from January 2001 to December 2016 (n = 3059) in Sydney, Australia. ICD-10AM codes were used to designate hospitalisation outcomes as either physical injury, mental health problems, substance use disorders, or organic illness. The treatment and comparison groups were matched on factors associated with program retention, resulting in a final sample of 1266 clients. We examined the rate of hospitalisation up to 15 years posttreatment for all clients and stratified by prior conviction status using Cox regression analyses. The treatment group had significantly lower rates of hospitalisation for a physical injury (HR = 0.77 [95% CI = 0.61-0.98]), mental health problem (HR = 0.62 [95% CI = 0.47-0.81]), substance use disorder (HR = 0.59 [95% CI = 0.47-0.75]), and organic illness (HR = 0.71 [95% CI = 0.55-0.92]). There was a significant interaction between treatment and prior criminal conviction status on rate of hospitalisation for physical injury, suggesting that the effect of treatment on physical injury was significantly greater for clients with a prior criminal conviction. Adolescents who engage in a therapeutic community treatment program may have a long-lasting reduction in the risk of subsequent hospitalisation. This also appears to apply to those with a history of criminal conviction.
Background: Men are at greater risk than women of dying by suicide. One in eight will experience ... more Background: Men are at greater risk than women of dying by suicide. One in eight will experience depression – a leading contributor to suicide – in their lifetime and men often delay seeking treatment. Previous research has focused on men’s use of unhelpful coping strategies, with little emphasis on men’s productive responses. The present study examines the positive strategies men use to prevent and manage depression. Method: A national online survey investigated Australian men’s use of positive strategies, including 26 strategies specifically nominated by men in a previous qualitative study. Data were collected regarding frequency of use or openness to using untried strategies, depression risk, depression symptoms, demographic factors, and other strategies suggested by men. Multivariate regression analyses explored relationships between regular use of strategies and other variables. Results: In total, 465 men aged between 18 and 74 years participated. The mean number of strategies ...
quasi-experimental mixed methods design to evaluate a complex health promotion program
PLoS ONE, 2020
Objectives To overcome key knowledge gaps in relation to justice involved and vulnerable young pe... more Objectives To overcome key knowledge gaps in relation to justice involved and vulnerable young people and their sexual health and to compare this group with their peers from other youth health surveys in Australia to determine the extent of the issues. Methods Young people, aged between 14 and 17 years, who had ever been or were currently involved with the criminal justice system were purposively sampled. The survey was anonymous and delivered using Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI). Results A total of 465 justice involved MeH-JOSH young people, aged between 14 and 17 years, participated in the study: 44% Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) and 37% not attending school. Of the total valid responses, 76% (n = 348) reported having ever had sex, with sexual initiation at a median age of 14 years. We compared these data with their peers in other Australian surveys and found that young people in our study had a higher engagement in sex and start having sex at...
Medical Science Educator, 2021
Background There is ongoing debate about best practice models to support active learning by encou... more Background There is ongoing debate about best practice models to support active learning by encouraging medical students to conduct independent research projects. This study explored student satisfaction, experiences, and learning outcomes of a unique, mandatory research program in an Australian medical school. Methods Students were invited to complete an anonymous survey ranking statements using Likert scales and completing open-ended questions. Factors predicting student satisfaction with the research year were analysed using a generalised linear regression model. A content analysis of open-ended questions was conducted. Results The survey was completed in October 2019 by 117 of 252 students (46%). The majority (84%) reported satisfaction with the research year. Factors associated with satisfaction were research skills learnt (OR 2.782, 95% CI 1.428-5.421; p < 0.003), supervision and support (OR = 2.587, 95% CI 1.237-5.413; p < 0.012), and meaningfulness and experience (OR = 2.506, 95% CI 1.100-5.708; p < 0.029). Qualitative results confirmed support from the faculty and supervisors, perceiving their research as meaningful, and the opportunity to learn research skills were highly regarded by students. Conclusions This study has shown that learning outcomes for basic research skills and high satisfaction rates can be achieved in a mandatory undergraduate research programme when students have dedicated time for their research, opportunities to negotiate their own project, and good support from faculty and mentors. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01340-9.
Poster Presentations, 2019
Contemporary Drug Problems, 2019
Crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) has been a fixture in Australian newspapers since the early 2000s... more Crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) has been a fixture in Australian newspapers since the early 2000s. This study explores discourses at work in constructing the ice “problem” in recent Australian media, possible implications for how people who use ice are discursively positioned, and the resulting significance for drug policy. Twenty-seven articles were selected for discourse analysis, sampled from a larger study of Australian ice-related news items. By critically engaging with sociological concepts of “moral panic” and the “risk society,” we demonstrate how three media discourses produce the subject of the “young person” as both victimized by ice and a catastrophic threat in and of themselves: (1) “ice traps and transforms youth,” (2) “ice does not discriminate,” and (3) “ice perverts sanctuary.” These discourses illustrate the tensions between the meanings of ice use and understandings of safety and risk, speaking to current anxieties in Western, neoliberal societies. Ice use is furt...
Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences, 2017
Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Arts-based approaches have not been widely used in the drug and alcohol treatment sector. In this... more Arts-based approaches have not been widely used in the drug and alcohol treatment sector. In this study, we examined the utility of the arts-based method of Body Mapping in an Australian residential treatment centre. Two workshops were held to explore young people’s strengths and support networks in order to improve understandings of young people’s lives, identities and experiences of treatment. Semi-structured follow-up interviews were conducted and triangulated with observational notes and staff interviews. We identified four major themes: engaging through art; removing the mask; revealing strengths; and a sense of achievement. Overall, this study highlighted the value of Body Mapping as an approach to engage with young people, providing rich in-depth data about their lived experiences, including in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment context.