This study examines the impact of travelling for treatment on cancer patients and their families. Twenty-eight consecutive cancer patients, who were receiving radiation therapy treatment and 19 family carers, completed a structured needs assessment questionnaire and an in-depth interview. Both patients and carers reported moderate to high levels of unmet psychological need. Carers were found to have higher levels of anxiety than patients, although both groups had higher anxiety levels than the general population. Taking more responsibility for household tasks and organising new living arrangements for the family were the most frequently identified demands of a dual burden of caring. Nearly 40% of carers reported some disruption to their schedule and half reported experiencing financial difficulties. The qualitative interviews highlight the disruption that parents and children experience under the present system, particularly in relation to the demands of family life and the need to maintain some level of continuity and security for children.

The studies aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Triple P-based "Driving Mum and Dad Mad" television series in improving positive parenting behaviours and child wellbeing over a six month period. A secondary aim was to compare the effectiveness of the intervention with (enhanced condition) and without (standard condition) extra support and resources. The influence of demographic details and parenting background were recorded to check for effects on outcomes and compliance. HypothesesParticipants were recruited across two waves, GPE1 (N = 450) and GPE2 (N = 270). Data from these two waves were combined. Both assessment groups used a repeated measures design and were randomly allocated to the two intervention conditions (standard or enhanced). Participants in the enhanced condition received downloadable tip sheets, a workbook and media resources in addition to the standard reminders to watch the series. All parents were administered a set of questionnaires measuring family background (Family Background Questionnaire); parental anger (Parental Anger Inventory); parenting style (Parenting Scale); parenting confidence for dealing with misbehaviour (Parenting Task Checklist); inter-parental conflict (Parent Problem Checklist); child disruptive behaviour (Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory); parental relationship satisfaction (Relationship Quality Index); and mood (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale). These were administered pre-intervention, as well as 12 weeks and 6 months after watching the series. Parents were also assessed on the number of episodes they watched, child-problem severity and demographic details. Hypotheses were as follows: 1. Parental factors, such as level of dysfunctional parenting style and anger, may influence the success of the interventions and persistence with watching the television series. 2. Demographic variables may influence intervention outcomes and viewing compliance. For example, based on prior research, parents from lower socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds were predicted to show less positive changes to parenting and child outcomes than parents from higher socio-economic backgrounds. 3. Severity of child problems may influence compliance and satisfaction outcomes. Parents of children with problems of greater severity were predicted to be less likely to complete watching the series, due to increased feelings of pressure and responsibility. ResultsResults were found to support the effectiveness of the media-based interventions over 12 week and 6-months for all measured variables apart from parental relationship quality. Information was found for the other hypotheses:-1. Parents with lower DASS and PS scores were more likely to have poorer reported child and parent outcomes. 2. Partner SES was significantly correlated with poorer reported child and parent outcomes. Additionally, parents from higher socio-economic backgrounds were more likely to watch the entire series and use the strategies at six-month follow-up. 3. Parents who reported greater severity of child problems were more ...

The value of combining self-help approaches, technology and media as part of a comprehensive public health approach to providing parenting support is discussed.

This is an emerging field and further research is required assessing the effectiveness of different models of integrated palliative care.

MPH does not improve fatigue in the population of patients with end-stage cancer. Aggregated N-of-1 trial methodology is feasible and produces population-based sample estimates with less than half the sample size required for the equivalent parallel-group RCT. It also identified individuals who did and did not respond to MPH, which is a feature difficult to achieve in a standard RCT. The study was registered with the Australian Clinical Trials Registry (12609000794202).