Australian Catholic University

About: Australian Catholic University is a education organization based out in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 2721 authors who have published 10013 publications receiving 215248 citations. The organization is also known as: ACU & ACU National.

Enhancing physical function in HIV-infected older adults: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract: OBJECTIVE HIV-infected older adults (HOA) are at risk of functional decline. Interventions promoting physical activity that can attenuate functional decline and are easily translated into the HOA community are of high priority. We conducted a randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate whether a physical activity counseling intervention based on self-determination theory (SDT) improves physical function, autonomous motivation, depression and the quality of life (QOL) in HOA. METHOD In total, 67 community-dwelling HOA with mild-to-moderate functional limitations were randomized to 1 of 2 groups: a physical activity counseling group or the usual care control group. We used SDT to guide the development of the experimental intervention. Outcome measures that were collected at baseline and final study visits included a battery of physical function tests, levels of physical activity, autonomous motivation, depression, and QOL. RESULTS The study participants were similar in their demographic and clinical characteristics in both the treatment and control groups. Overall physical performance, gait speed, measures of endurance and strength, and levels of physical activity improved in the treatment group compared to the control group (p < .05). Measures of autonomous regulation such as identified regulation, and measures of depression and QOL improved significantly in the treatment group compared with the control group (p < .05). Across the groups, improvement in intrinsic regulation and QOL correlated with an improvement in physical function (p < .05). CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that a physical activity counseling program grounded in SDT can improve physical function, autonomous motivation, depression, and QOL in HOA with functional limitations. (PsycINFO Database Record

Nonattachment and mindfulness: Related but distinct constructs

Abstract: In this study, we examined whether nonattachment, a relatively new construct in the mindfulness literature, showed convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity in relation to the well-studied 5 facets of mindfulness. Mindfulness was defined as a multifaceted construct including observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity; and measured using the recently validated, 20-item Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ; Tran, Gluck, & Nader, 2013; Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006). Nonattachment was defined as a flexible, balanced way of relating to one's experiences without clinging to or suppressing them, and measured using the 7-item Nonattachment Scale (NAS-7; Elphinstone, Sahdra, & Ciarrochi, 2015; Sahdra, Shaver, & Brown, 2015). In a large nationally representative sample of Americans (N = 7,884; 52% women; age, M = 47.9, SD = 16), nonattachment was positively related to all 5 aspects of mindfulness. Structural equation modeling showed that the 20-item FFMQ and NAS-7 showed good fit; their factor structures were invariant across genders and age groups; and NAS-7 was empirically distinguishable from the 5 mindfulness facets. Hierarchical regression models provided evidence of the incremental validity of NAS-7. Finally, mediation models showed that nonattachment substantially mediated the links between the mindfulness facets and the outcome variables of satisfaction with life and life effectiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record