Papers by Kay Cook
Child Care Health and Development, 2008
Objective Although the amount and frequency of child support payments received by single parents... more Objective Although the amount and frequency of child support payments received by single parents are often erratic and fluctuate, no study to date has quantitatively explored how the discrepancy between expected and actual payments relates to child health. This study aims to examine whether the discrepancy between expected and actual child support payments predicts a range of child health outcomes, including global health, health-related quality of life, involvement in activities and parental psychological distress.Methods This study used results from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, which included a sample of parents of children aged 4–5 years (n = 4983). The questionnaire was completed by the parent who spent the most time with the child and knew the child best. From the 4983 families, 332 low-income single parents reliant on welfare with a formal or informal child support order in place were identified.Results After controlling for income, the discrepancy between expected and actual child support predicted school functioning, conduct problems, total mental health problems and involvement in activities. Discrepancy between expected and actual child support payments did not predict the remaining health-related quality of life domains, mental health domains, global child health or parental psychosocial distress.Conclusion This was the first study to examine how the discrepancy between expected and actual child support payments relates to child health, providing important data on the effectiveness of the child support system for children's well-being. These findings highlight the potential impact of the discrepancy on school functioning, conduct problems, total mental health problems and involvement in activities.
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Social Policy & Administration, 2008
This article examines the experience of low-income women on welfare in Australia and the process ... more This article examines the experience of low-income women on welfare in Australia and the process of seeking child support from a violent ex-partner, contrasting this with research from the United States and the United Kingdom. Women in Australia who fear ongoing or renewed abuse as a result of seeking child support are eligible for an exemption. However, the exemption policy does not necessarily provide the intended protection of women and children from ongoing abuse and poverty. The exemption policy route also produces an unintended outcome whereby the perpetrators of violence are financially rewarded as they do not have to pay child support. These outcomes are shaped by a complex interaction of personal, cultural and structural forces that make the process of seeking child support for women who have experienced violence extremely problematic. The article demonstrates how in Australia, as in the US and UK policy contexts, the needs of women and their children are compromised by the details of policy specification and the way policies are implemented within the different systems.
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Psychopathology, 2006
Research into depression in the medically ill has progressed without sufficient attention being g... more Research into depression in the medically ill has progressed without sufficient attention being given to the validity, in this group, of the taxonomic categories. We aimed to describe, using qualitative interviews, the experience of 'being depressed', separating experiences that are unique to depression from experiences that are common to being ill and in hospital. Forty-nine patients hospitalized for medical illness underwent a 30-min interview in which they were asked to 'Describe how you have been unwell and, in particular, how that has made you feel.' From the transcripts, a…
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Child Care Health and Development, 2010
Background Although it is expected that caring for a child with cerebral palsy (CP) can impact o... more Background Although it is expected that caring for a child with cerebral palsy (CP) can impact on the quality of life (QOL) of caregivers, the QOL of carers' has yet to be adequately examined. The aims of this study are to: (1) explore the QOL of mothers and fathers of children with CP aged 3–18 years; and (2) examine whether the impact of caring for a child with CP changes from childhood to adolescence.Method A qualitative study was conducted utilizing a grounded theory framework. Twenty-four mothers and 13 fathers of children and adolescents with CP aged 3–7 years (n = 15), 8–12 years (n = 10) and 13–18 years (n = 12) and with varying levels of impairment (GMFCS Level I = 1, II = 4, II = 3, IV = 5, V = 12) participated in semi-structured interviews about their QOL. The transcripts were analysed to identify issues affecting parental QOL.Results There were no differences in parental QOL among subgroups (i.e. mothers and fathers, age groups, GMFCS levels). Parental QOL ranged across a wide spectrum. Caring for a child with CP affects a parent's physical well-being, social well-being, freedom and independence, family well-being and financial stability. Parents indicated that they often feel unsupported by the services they access.Conclusions Caring for a child with CP can both positively and negatively impact on a parent's life. There is value for both parents and children if parental concerns and determinants of QOL are considered in overall programme planning and service delivery for children and their families.
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Early Child Development and Care, 2011
This study aimed to explore family day care (FDC) educators' knowledge of child social and emotio... more This study aimed to explore family day care (FDC) educators' knowledge of child social and emotional wellbeing and mental health problems, the strategies used to promote children's wellbeing, and barriers and opportunities for promoting children's social and emotional wellbeing. Thirteen FDC educators participated in individual semi-structured interviews. FDC educators were more comfortable defining children's social and emotional wellbeing than they were in identifying causes and early signs of mental health problems. Strategies used to promote children's mental health were largely informal and dependent on educator skills and capacities rather than a systematic scheme-wide approach. Common barriers to mental health promotion were limited financial resources, a need for more training and hesitance raising child mental health issues with parents. There is a need to build FDC educators' knowledge of child social and emotional wellbeing and for tailored mental health promotion strategies in FDC.
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Child Care Health and Development, 2008
Background Childhood mental health problems are prevalent in Australian children (14–20%). Socia... more Background Childhood mental health problems are prevalent in Australian children (14–20%). Social exclusion is a risk factor for mental health problems, whereas being socially included can have protective effects. This study aims to identify the barriers to social inclusion for children aged 9–12 years living in low socio-economic status (SES) areas, using both child-report and parent-report interviews.Methods Australian-born English-speaking parents and children aged 9–12 years were sampled from a low SES area to participate in semi-structured interviews. Parents and children were asked questions around three prominent themes of social exclusion; exclusion from school, social activities and social networks.Results Many children experienced social exclusion at school, from social activities or within social networks. Overall, nine key barriers to social inclusion were identified through parent and child interviews, such as inability to attend school camps and participate in school activities, bullying and being left out, time and transport constraints, financial constraints and safety and traffic concerns. Parents and children often identified different barriers.Discussion There are several barriers to social inclusion for children living in low SES communities, many of which can be used to facilitate mental health promotion programmes. Given that parents and children may report different barriers, it is important to seek both perspectives.Conclusion This study strengthens the evidence base for the investments and action required to bring about the conditions for social inclusion for children living in low SES communities.
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Social exclusion is a risk factor for mental health problems. This study aims to identify the fac... more Social exclusion is a risk factor for mental health problems. This study aims to identify the factors that contribute to social exclusion for children from several cultural backgrounds, living in low-socioeconomic status (SES) areas. Children from English, Chinese and Arabic speaking backgrounds participated in semi-structured interviews. They were asked questions around three prominent themes of social exclusion: exclusion from school, social activities and social networks. Children from English and Chinese speaking backgrounds experienced exclusion at school, from social activities or in social networks. The major barriers to social inclusion, which differed across cultural groups, included bullying, time constraints, economic resources and parental permission. Although money is a barrier to social inclusion, there are several other barriers that need to be considered, such as bullying, time and parental permission, and they may differ by culture. Mental health promotion programmes in schools and communities need to address these barriers in a culturally appropriate manner.
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Public Health Nutrition, 2009
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Health Education Journal, 2005
Objective The purpose of this study was to validate measures of individual and organisational inf... more Objective The purpose of this study was to validate measures of individual and organisational infrastructure for health promotion within Alberta's (Canada) 17 Regional Health Authorities (RHAs).Design A series of phases were conducted to develop individual and organisational scales to measure health promotion infrastructure. Instruments were designed with focus groups and then pre-tested prior to the validation study.Setting In 1993 all
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Promotion & Education, 2008
This paper provides a baseline profile of organizational capacity for (heart) health promotion in... more This paper provides a baseline profile of organizational capacity for (heart) health promotion in Alberta's regional health authorities (RHAs); and examines differences in perceived organizational health promotion capacity specific to modifiable risk factors across three levels of staff and across capacity levels. Baseline data were collected from a purposive sample of 144 board members, senior/middle managers and service providers from 17 RHAs participating in a five-year time-series repeated survey design assessing RHA capacity for (heart) health promotion. Results indicate low levels of capacity to take health promotion action on the broader determinants of health and risk conditions like poverty and social support. In contrast, capacity for health promotion action specific to physiological and behavioural risk factors is considerably higher. Organizational "will" to do health promotion is noticeably more present than is both infrastructure and leadership. Both position held within an organization as well as overall level of organizational capacity appear to influence perceptions of organizational capacity. Overall, results suggest that organizational "will", while necessary, is inadequate on its own for health promotion implementation to occur, especially in regard to addressing the broader determinants of health. A combination of low infrastructure and limited leadership may help explain a lack of health promotion action.
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Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 1992
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Published & Forthcoming Papers by Kay Cook
When Welfare to Work activities for single parents were first introduced in the 2005 Commonwealth... more When Welfare to Work activities for single parents were first introduced in the 2005 Commonwealth Budget, the primary claim was that these measures would increase individual wellbeing. A decade on, the veracity of this claim has yet to be comprehensively assessed. In this article, we systematically review the 41 Australian studies of income support recipients who were the primary carers of children, to examine the impacts of welfare-to-work on child and parent wellbeing. In line with the themes contained within these studies, we synthesized the findings related to three key areas of wellbeing: financial wellbeing; social connection and subjective wellbeing; and physical and psychological wellbeing. Academic research on the impact of Welfare to Work reforms on the wellbeing of single parents and their children presents an overwhelmingly negative picture whereby reforms have forced parents to participate in services that use 'work-first' and 'one size fits all', 'blanket' or 'rigid' approaches that do not help parents to meet their aspirations. Research also suggests that the reforms have decreased the financial wellbeing of single parents and their children, resulting in parents making the transition from welfare to work feeling less satisfied with their future security and standard of living, and higher poverty rates amongst the population of single parents with dependent children. However, there remain significant gaps in our understanding of how Welfare to Work affects parents and their children.
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Papers by Kay Cook
Published & Forthcoming Papers by Kay Cook