News - April 2014

MASN@ECU Newsletter April, 2014

 

Membership:

Welcome to all the new members. Thanks for signing up with us. We have now entered all of the names into the newsletter subscriber. We have had a few emails bounce back, and are re-checking spelling and so on. Please add our email address (ecu.matureage.list@gmail.com) to your address book to ensure we are not sent to spam. If you wish to unsubscribe then that's fine, too. Just use the unsubscribe feature. If you haven't heard from us then you can always check Facebook or the blog, as they have the same newsletters added each month.

Movie Night:

Thanks to everyone who came to the Movie Night. We still have 12 free tickets to give away for the Pines Outdoor cinema to see Like Father Like Son. These are valid till Sunday night the 13th April. Please email ewhitehe@our.ecu.edu.au asap if interested.

Coffee Mornings:

Coffee Mornings have been going really well, currently held every Wednesday between 10.30 and 11.30am in the Central Café at Mount Lawley. Do you want to start these at your campus? We need reps at Bunbury and Joondalup. Contact Eileen (ewhitehe@our.ecu.edu.au) or Brian ( bgoodman@our.ecu.edu.au ). They will discuss how we set this up and show you how you can offer free coffees (courtesy of the Guild and MASN) and a sympathetic ear to other mature age students.

Parent Group:

We used to have a parent group, but this ended when some students graduated. If you would like to meet up with other parents for coffee, playdates or to rally for parent spaces, then let us know your ideas. We can assist with things such as coffee vouchers, or help spread the word about your meetups. We have very limited funding, but we will do what we can. There is a Facebook group going, but members are not very active. It would be great for newer students to take over.

PhD Studies:

The following PhD candidates are looking for volunteers to interview for research:

Study 1:

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 31.3% of marriages in Australia in 2012 were between males and females who were born in different countries. If defacto couples and relationships between second and third generation migrants are also considered, the rate of interethnic relationships in Australia is higher still. Research regarding the experiences of interethnic couples indicates wide variation in parent reactions towards interethnic relationships, ranging from unquestioned support through to violent opposition. This research is however limited as it relies primarily on the reports of adult-children who are involved in interethnic relationships and so reported reactions fail to consider the perspective of parents.

Nikki Rajakaruna, a PhD candidate in the School of Psychology and Social Science at Edith Cowan University aims to address this gap in research by investigating the experiences of parents whose adult-child is involved in an interethnic relationship. To explore this issue, Nikki would like to speak to mothers whose adult child has been involved in an interethnic relationship for longer than 12 months. To find out more about this research please contact Nikki n.rajakaruna@ecu.edu.au or 63045497.

Study 2:

Are you aged between 12 and 24?

Would you like to participate in research?

As part of my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Edith Cowan University I want to find out what it is like to be the brother or sister of a person who has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. To do this I need to find out what it is like to be the sibling of someone who has not been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

Who is eligible for the study?

Young adults aged between 12 and 24 years who:

• have NOT been diagnosed with an intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder;
• have at least one sibling (of any age). Siblings MUST NOT have been formally diagnosed with Autism, Asperger’s syndrome or Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) or an intellectual disability.
• have mothers/female guardians willing to also participate in the study.

What will you be asked to do?

You will be asked to fill out three questionnaires about your family functioning, yourself and your mental health and emotional wellbeing. Your mother/female guardian will be asked to complete the same questionnaires. All responses are confidential.

How long will it take?

The questionnaires should take about 20 to 35 minutes.

Do you want more information or want to volunteer?

Email Jessica Michel: jmichel@our.ecu.edu.au