A Vulvar Cancer Cluster In Young Indigenous Women In Arnhem Land: Investigation Of Community Knowledge, Genetic Susceptibility And Supportive Care Response
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$711,841.00
Summary
Cancer of the vulva is 50 times more common in young Aboriginal women in Arnhem Land than in other women. Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which also causes cervical cancer, is the usual cause of this cancer; initial investigations have found that HPV is present in these cancers but is not the reason for the excessive incidence. This study will investigate local knowledge about this disease, and whether inherited susceptibility or an environmental cancer-causing substance are the cause of the excess.
What's In A Conversation? Discourse Correlates Of Concepts In The Conversational Model Of Psychotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$240,952.00
Summary
How and why does therapeutic talk assist people with mental health disorders to change and restore their sense of self? How do psychiatrists read the potential for such change in the discourse of their patients? This collaborative project, between psychiatry and linguistics, investigates the role of language in providing both strategies for change and evidence of change in the Conversational Model of psychotherapy. The project will examine the linguistic patterns that occur in the forms of talk ....How and why does therapeutic talk assist people with mental health disorders to change and restore their sense of self? How do psychiatrists read the potential for such change in the discourse of their patients? This collaborative project, between psychiatry and linguistics, investigates the role of language in providing both strategies for change and evidence of change in the Conversational Model of psychotherapy. The project will examine the linguistic patterns that occur in the forms of talk used by therapists employing the Conversational Model of Psychotherapy, in order to produce a better understanding of certain mental illnesses, and how they can be treated. Specifically, it will: 1. describe, linguistically, four key discourse categories of the Conversational Model that are taken as indicators of progress in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder 2. explain the therapeutic work of such discourse - what is it about these particular language resources that facilitates the observed changes in patients' discourse and mind? 3. assess the stability of key discourse categories of the Conversational Model, and test the ability of a linguistic profile to reliably distinguish between key therapeutic categories as used by different clinicians. The positive effects of Conversational Therapy on incidence of self harm, violence, hospital stays, drug use and self-reported symptoms in this group have been well documented and are especially impressive given that many of the patients in these studies had been turned away from other forms of treatment as unresponsive. By understanding better how this therapy works in a patient group that is typically resistant to treatment but responsive to this particular treatment, we hope to improve health outcomes for people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. In the longer term we expect this research to help improve techniques for enhancing the mental health of Australians more generally.Read moreRead less
Social Aspects And Cultural Meanings Of Gynaecological Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment And Adjustment Of Victorian Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$158,500.00
Summary
Most research worldwide concerning gynaecological cancers has related to cervical cancer screening because of the effectiveness of Pap tests, while limited research has been conducted on social aspects of cancer. However, cancer of the uterus and ovary are among the top ten cancers in Australian women, and the diagnosis of a gynaecological cancer has a profound effect on women. This study is concerned with women's understandings of cancer disease, its treatment and outcomes, and with social fact ....Most research worldwide concerning gynaecological cancers has related to cervical cancer screening because of the effectiveness of Pap tests, while limited research has been conducted on social aspects of cancer. However, cancer of the uterus and ovary are among the top ten cancers in Australian women, and the diagnosis of a gynaecological cancer has a profound effect on women. This study is concerned with women's understandings of cancer disease, its treatment and outcomes, and with social factors that may influence their treatment decisions and care. The study will be conducted in metropolitan and rural Victoria. Women from a variety of ethnic, language and social backgrounds, who have been diagnosed with gynaecological cancer in the preceding three years, will be interviewed to gain insight into their understandings and experiences of the processes of disease, diagnosis and treatment procedures, the implications of for daily life, and the relationship of these events to their perceptions of their bodies, gender and sexuality. We will also interview oncologists and cancer support group facilitators, and participate in cancer support groups, to examine the role of such groups and to explore the experiences of health professionals providing care to women with these cancers. Research findings will be used to develop health educational information about gynaecological cancers, and to provide information to hospitals and clinicians to improve quality of clinical care and social support.Read moreRead less