Kylie Rice

Technological changes offer immense opportunity for qualitative data collection in health research, in both standalone qualitative surveys and mixed‐method designs. However, not all qualitative analysis is suitable for the large qualitative datasets that can be obtained from surveys with numerous open‐ended questions. This paper aimed to (1) consider the appropriateness of common qualitative approaches for analysing textual responses in survey data, (2) extend conceptual and practical considerations for a novel integration of content and thematic analysis for qualitative survey data, and (3) demonstrate the application through a worked example. Content analysis can be well suited for individual open‐ended questions of a survey, identifying codes and categories. However, where multiple open‐ended survey questions are included in a survey, an interpretative process may be needed to facilitate the identification of latent themes across numerous qualitative survey questions. To address the need for hybrid, descriptive and interpretative methods, this perspective paper extends the sequential integration of content and thematic analysis to facilitate analysis of large qualitative datasets. This iterative and recursive analytic process is presented as a tool for researchers to sequentially reduce and describe large volumes of textual responses with content analysis, and an interpretative thematic process to integrate data across numerous questions. The point of analytic transition is described, and an integrated framework is illustrated and demonstrated with a worked example. This flexible integration can be employed with any variation of content analysis and thematic analysis and may be applied with qualitative data generated in mixed‐method surveys or purely qualitative surveys. This integration provides a practical framework for analysing data from numerous qualitative questions in a survey and may have utility for researchers analysing qualitative survey data across all disciplines.

The accessibility of mental health services in rural Australia is impacted by an interplay of geographical, individual, and availability challenges (Moody et al., 2026a). Rural Australians would li...

Competence is defined within the International Declaration of Core Competence in Professional Psychology as “a combination of practical and theoretical knowledge, cognitive skills, behaviour, and v...

There has been a call to establish a nationally consistent school psychology workforce in Australia in response to the growing psychological needs of children and young people. Despite educational settings being the dominant practice setting for Australian psychologists after private practice, there is limited research focused on the specific skills and challenges of the school psychology role in the Australian context, especially in regional and remote areas. This qualitative study aimed to explore what specialist competencies are inherent to the school psychologist role and the challenges associated. Thirteen school psychologists with experience in urban, regional, and remote Australian locations participated in the study. Reflexive thematic analysis identified three themes: (a) system symbiosis, (b) pressure, and (c) adapt for longevity. These themes captured the experiences shared by psychologists as they enter the school psychology context and face unique challenges to which to adapt. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: The ratio of psychologists to the population is vastly lower in rural communities compared to urban areas, and more clinicians are critically needed in rural Australia. Other health disciplines have implemented generalist frameworks and training to encourage and prepare clinicians to remain in rural practice. Research often references rural psychology practice in conjunction with the broader allied health discipline. Objective: Though prior research has identified skills needed for rural psychology practice, further research is needed to expand and update the current understanding of rural psychology competencies. Therefore, the current study explored the competencies and skills used by rural psychologists. Methods: Qualitative interviews with 15 rural psychologists from across Australia were conducted and analysed using a reflexive thematic approach. Results: Participants spoke of the unique skills required to manage the challenges of rural practice, identifying eight thematic competencies: clinical skills, networking, cultural responsiveness, practitioner wellbeing, ethics, risk, professional development and telehealth. Conclusion: Themes highlighted the need for a discipline‐specific approach to supporting rural psychologists in practice. Applications of this research, particularly towards supporting and retaining psychologists in rural Australia, are discussed.

Professional psychology postgraduate education programs support the development of skills and competencies in psychology trainees, while also ensuring the safety of the communities they treat (Aust...

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is the most common psychiatric disorder of adolescence and appears to be increasing in prevalence. Early detection can reduce negative outcomes. The Severity Measure for Social Anxiety Disorder-Child 11-17 (SAD-DY) was the first youth social anxiety measure developed based on the DSM-5, however, psychometric evaluation is needed. A community sample of 315 Australian adolescents aged 11 to 17 years was surveyed online. Participants completed the SAD-DY, along with measures of convergent and discriminant validity. The measure was found to have good internal consistency, concurrent validity, and discriminant validity. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) suggested a unidimensional construct, with the model supported in a subsequent confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Post-hoc analysis suggested a briefer, more parsimonious scale could be developed that retained strong psychometric properties, and this reduced-item scale was termed the SAD-DY6. A receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis provided a criterion cut-off value of 14 for the 10-item measure, and a criterion cut-off of 9 for the 6-item version. These results provide psychometric support for the use of the SAD-DY and SAD-DY6. Criterion cut-off scores determined for the first time enhance utility of the measures in both research and practice.

Simulation-based learning (SBL) is increasingly utilised across various health disciplines to develop clinical competencies to enable students to experientially practice their skills with represent...