Active youth participation models that tackle major social problems can promote positive youth development and wellbeing. Implementation and evaluation of youth participation models to curtail violence in families and other intimate relationships is limited. The present study reports on a process evaluation of a new youth participation model called R4Respect that features a peer-led approach to respectful relationships education, which is aimed at preventing domestic violence. The evaluation uses qualitative methods, based on interviews with youth participants and adult external stakeholders, drawing on the Tiffany–Eckenrode Program Participation Scale. The evaluation demonstrates that R4Respect is successfully engaging young people as decision-makers and peer-educators in strategies aimed at improving the understanding young people have of what constitutes respect in relationships. The R4Respect model shows that young people can fulfil an important role in the prevention of domestic violence.

Sleep is vital for health and wellbeing across the lifecourse. Ethnic differences have been observed with regards to the prevalence and predictors of self-reported sleep problems. An understanding of sleep experiences with ageing and across ethnicities is required to better support older people. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 23 people living in Aotearoa/New Zealand aged 61–92 years (12 Māori and 11 non-Māori) concerning current sleep status, changes over their lifecourse and personal strategies for supporting good sleep. Participants typically expressed satisfaction with current sleep (usually pertaining to duration) or feelings that sleep was compromised (usually pertaining to waking function). Comparisons to a socially perceived ‘ideal’ sleep were common, with sleep transitions presented as a gradual and accepted part of ageing. Participants resisted medicalising sleep disruptions in older age. While participants were aware of ways to enhance their sleep, many acknowledged engaging in practices that undermined it. Unique insights from some Māori participants indicated that sleep disruptions were not so readily pathologised compared to Western views and that sleeplessness could provide opportunity for cultural or spiritual connection. Common narratives underpinning the themes were: ‘You don't need as much sleep when you're older’, ‘Sleep just fits in’ and ‘Having the time of my life’. Findings provide personal experiences and cultural interpretations relating to sleep and ageing. This provides the foundation for future participatory research to co-design sleep health messages which are meaningful for ageing well across ethnicities.

Aim: Mental health staff, particularly those delivering inpatient services, may experience poor wellbeing due to time-pressured, stressful work. Existing staff wellbeing interventions are limited, so there is a need for novel, accessible support. Virtual reality (VR) relaxation has potential to support wellbeing; this study aimed to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of VR relaxation for staff on a psychiatric rehabilitation ward.Method: Ward staff were offered a single session of VR relaxation. Wearing a VR head-mounted display, participants could explore immersive, relaxing, virtual environments of natural scenery. Feasibility was measured by assessing completion rate of session components, time spent in VR, and number of environments accessed. Acceptability was measured by comparing pre- and post-VR visual analogue scales (VAS), from 0 (‘not at all’) to 10 (‘very’), of relaxation, stress, anxiety, sadness, happiness, and connectedness to nature; by reporting post-VR immersion and helpfulness VAS, and post-session narrative feedback.Results: Participants (N = 14) were mostly female; half were nurses and others were from various professions. Post-VR, there were significant increases in relaxation, connectedness to nature (both large effects) and happiness (medium effect); there were also significant decreases in stress, anxiety (both large effects) and sadness (small effect). Immersion and helpfulness ratings were both >7. Participants reported that the VR was relaxing, a positive distraction from work-related stress, they liked the interactive elements, and were keen to receive more regular sessions.Conclusion: VR relaxation appears feasible and acceptable to support staff wellbeing on psychiatric wards and there is potential for wider implementation.

Combining electric and acoustic hearing across ears allows significant “bimodal hearing” benefit for speech recognition, sound quality, and music perception. The degree of bimodal benefit for speech recognition and musical emotion perception is significantly correlated with neural representation of F0 envelope using the frequency following response (FFR) for a 170-ms /da/ stimulus (D’Onofrio et al., in prep). The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between bimodal benefit for musical emotion perception and neural representation of F0 using Rhodes piano stimuli at the following fundamental frequencies: 98 Hz (G2), 262 Hz (C4), and 440 Hz (A4). Our hypotheses are (1) the correlation between bimodal benefit and neural representation of F0 and temporal fine structure will be strengthened via use of a “music” stimulus, compared to the /da/ “speech” stimulus, and (2) bimodal benefit for speech recognition will be better explained via FFR for speech stimuli. Stimuli were presented at 90 dB SPL to the non-implanted ear of bimodal listeners using magnetically shielded insert earphones. Implications regarding the clinical utility of FFR will be discussed, with particular attention given to its use as an objective measure of expected bimodal benefit for speech recognition and musical emotion perception.

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