Rachael Sharman

Despite growing awareness of the issue of sport-related concussion, the extent to which different participants in rugby union (e.g., players, coaches, parents, medics, and referees) understand how to prevent concussion is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine how people with different roles in community rugby union prevent sport-related concussion; specifically, how individuals understand their role-specific responsibilities in prevention, as well as their prevention behaviours. Using a social-ecological systems perspective, this study identified both communalities and discrepancies in the role-specific responsibilities held by different actors within the community rugby system. There was notable congruency in the responsibilities and prevention strategies presented by coach, athlete, and parent respondents. Conversely, inconsistencies were identified in the specificity of inter-role responsibilities, as well as in the prevention strategies utilized by both different individual actors, as well as different levels of the system. Future prevention strategies should aim to recognize the occurrence of role multiplicity in community sport, and consider the impact this may have on information translation within the real-world context of the community rugby culture.

Research has consistently identified those individuals experiencing chronic pain exhibit attentional biases towards pain (threat) stimuli in their environment, which tends to exacerbate and maintain the chronicity and severity of the current pain symptoms. Attentional bias modification (ABM) programs have previously been trialled in other forms of psychopathology, most notably depression and anxiety disorders, with benefits noted. To date, only two studies have trialled an ABM program with pain patients. The current study aimed to add to this emerging body of research. Specifically, this study examined the efficacy of a single-session attentional bias modification (ABM) program in reducing individuals' attentional bias to pain stimuli and improving pain-related clinical outcomes in a sample of chronic pain patients. Thirty two chronic pain patients were randomly allocated to receive either an ABM intervention that attempted to train attention away from pain stimuli or a similar task with no training contingency. Pre- and post-test measures of participants' attention bias to pain stimuli were collected. Following completion of the intervention, measures of participants' current pain ratings, mood, fear of pain, and pain catastrophising levels were completed. Participants who received the single-session ABM intervention did not show any significant changes from pre- to post-test in attention bias, compared to participants who received the placebo. Although no attention bias training effects were observed, participants who received the ABM intervention exhibited better clinical outcomes following treatment. Specifically, the ABM group reported significantly lower levels of current pain ratings, particularly lower affective pain symptoms, and pain catastrophising symptoms. This preliminary evidence investigating the utility of ABM interventions in chronic pain indicates that a single-session ABM intervention did not result in an immediate changes to attention biases, however may improve clinical outcomes for people with chronic pain. These results provide promising support for the clinical utility of ABM programs in chronic pain treatment.

Children who regularly engage in physically activity (PA) are generally healthier and show trends towards continuing PA and improved health into adulthood. The majority of child PA inventions have been school-based, with focus on the curriculum and physical education (PE) which traditionally emphasised team-based competitive sports. The trends of diminishing PA in many children and adolescents suggest that other PA programs (i.e., individual, non-competitive) may have a role in the promotion of healthy exercise behaviours in those children who are not attracted by traditional PE programs. The aim of this research was to evaluate such a PA promotion intervention conducted over 6 weeks in a school context. Following ethical approval and informed consent 270 children (Mage = 11.4 years, 53% female) from a Brisbane (QLD) state school participated in a pre-post analysis of the ZOVA program. ZOVA is a new PA program, neither team-based nor competitive, that instructs sports skills using rhythm with audio and visual supporting resources. Children completed a number of pre-post intervention measures including: Time spent exercising; enjoyment of PE program; body image; and depression symptoms. Results were as follows: 1) After participation in ZOVA, children reported small but statistically significant (p less than .05) improvements in several measures of body image/physical self-efficacy, as well as depression symptoms. 2) On average, students reported a small but statistically significant (p less than .05) increase in amount of time exercising, as well as a small statistically significant increase in enjoyment of PE with ZOVA as the PE program. 3) When the group of children who originally nominated themselves as 'low exercisers' were analysed separately to 'high exercisers', a statistically significant and substantial increase in exercise behaviour was reported by the 'low exercisers' (p less than .001, effect size r = .48). In conclusion this non-traditional approach to PE particularly engaged the students who don't typically do a lot of exercise. Our results appear to support the hypothesis, that for students who are not engaging in traditional PE programs (i.e., competitive, team-based), alternative PA programs can be successful in motivating them to engage in higher levels of PA.

The experience of motherhood is commonly characterised by role overload and inability to find time and energy for adequate levels of physical activity (PA). Unfortunately, despite clear evidence that regular PA is linked to physical and psychological health, exercise and PA levels of women and mothers are low. In response to the limitations of previous research in this area, this current investigation aimed to explore PA behaviour, stage of PA behaviour change, and role overload in adult women with children in early childhood and middle childhood (early motherhood: Mother of a child less than six years, or as middle motherhood: Mother of a child aged 6 to 9 years and with no children under 6 years of age). Following ethical approval and informed consent 331 mothers (Mage = 35.5 years, SD = 6.8) over the age of 18 years with one or more children less than 14 years-of-age completed an on-line survey (85% completion rate). Results indicated that neither PA behaviour, t(329) = .227, p = .820, stages of physical activity change, 2(4) = 5.52, p = .340, nor role overload, t(329) = .635, p = .526, significantly differed across motherhood groups. Role overload was significantly higher for mothers in the contemplation, planning, and action stages of PA than in the maintenance stage of change, F(4, 326) = 5.06, p = .001. However, role overload was only weakly, although significantly negatively correlated with PA, r = -.184, p less than .001. While these findings do confirm that role overload is a factor associated with activity levels in mothers, the correlation analysis demonstrated that only less than 4% of a mother's PA is explained by her reported role overload. In conclusion, strategies focused upon reducing role overload or changing perceptions of role overload, have only limited potential to meaningfully increase PA in mothers.

Findings from studies investigating physical activity (PA) in Australian children have been mixed in terms of family-influenced motivations to exercise, as well as the subsequent influence of PA on obesity levels. Our objective was two-fold. Firstly to investigate whether a) parental modelling (children observing parents exercise and enjoyment of sport) or b) parental support (driving to sports, spectating, encouraging children to participate) had the greater influence on the child engaging in PA. Secondly to investigate the relative influence of the child's PA and screen-time sedentary behaviours on Body Mass Index (BMI). Primary caregivers of 144 children (54% male), between the ages of 5 and 13 years, completed a retrospective seven-day questionnaire to report 1) their own physical activity levels and attitudes towards same, and 2) their child's physical activity level, sedentary "screen-time" behaviours, and child's BMI. Participants were primarily recruited from Sunshine Coast sporting clubs, potentially yielding a (biased) relatively active sample. Firstly, parental modelling and attitudes showed no relationship with a child's PA levels. Measures of parental support however, combined to account for 25% of the variance in a child's PA level. Secondly, in contrast to previous research, no significant correlation to a child's PA levels with screen-time was shown. An independent t-test showed children in the normal BMI range (n = 86) exhibited significantly lower screen-time usage when compared with overweight children (n = 46). No significant difference in the level of PA was reported for children in both the normal and overweight BMI ranges. Parental support influenced the child's PA level, not parental modelling. However, it was not the amount of PA that affected a child's BMI in this sample, but rather the amount sedentary screen-time. Public health/education campaigns should focus on increasing parental awareness of idle-time on children's weight.

Objective: Findings from studies investigating physical activity (PA) in Australian children have been mixed in terms of family-influenced motivations to exercise, as well as the subsequent influence of PA on obesity levels. Our objective was two-fold. Firstly to investigate whether a) parental modelling (children observing parents exercise and enjoyment of sport) or b) parental support (driving to sports, spectating, encouraging children to participate) had the greater influence on the child engaging in PA. Secondly to investigate the relative influence of the child's PA and screen-time sedentary behaviours on Body Mass Index (BMI). Design and Methods: Primary caregivers of 144 children (54% male), between the ages of 5 and 13 years, completed a retrospective seven-day questionnaire to report 1) their own physical activity levels and attitudes towards same, and 2) their child's physical activity level, sedentary "screen-time" behaviours, and child's BMI. Participants were primarily recruited from Sunshine Coast sporting clubs, yielding a biased relatively active sample. Results: Firstly, parental modelling and attitudes showed no relationship with a child's PA levels. Measures of parental support however, combined to account for 25% of the variance in a child's PA level. Secondly, in contrast to previous research, no significant correlation to a child's PA levels with screen-time was shown. An independent t-test showed children in the normal BMI range (n = 86) exhibited significantly lower screen-time usage when compared with overweight children (n = 46). No significant difference in the level of PA was reported for children in both the normal and overweight BMI ranges. Discussion: Parental support influenced the child's PA level, not parental modelling. However, it was not the amount of PA that affected a child's BMI in this sample, but rather the amount sedentary screen-time. Public health/education campaigns should focus on increasing parental awareness of idle-time on children's weight.

Although it might be expected that parents and teachers would establish similar assessments of a child's behaviour, this is often not the case. This study's aim was to examine the correspondence of parent and teacher ratings of adaptive and challenging behaviours for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) enrolled in an early intervention program. Ratings were compared for the Behavior Assessment System for Children, second edition (BASC-2; n = 22), and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, second edition (VABS-II; n = 28), which are common assessment tools for measuring progress over time that thus require accuracy. Results showed that adaptive behaviour ratings generally demonstrated high parent-teacher correlations, but challenging behaviour ratings demonstrated relatively low correlations. Only adaptive skills on the BASC-2 showed significant mean parent-teacher differences, with parent ratings suggesting greater impairment. Although statistical power limits the conclusions, results suggest that adaptive behaviours are elicited across situations and interpreted by parents and teachers relatively consistently. In contrast, challenging behaviours, particularly attention problems and hyperactivity, may be more situation-driven or susceptible to different interpretations. This suggests that clinicians should consider gaining both parent and teacher perspectives on a child with ASD's challenging behaviour, but that a single informant measure of adaptive behaviour, either parent or teacher, may be sufficient.