In this episode, I catch up with Dr Taylor A. Braund to hear about his research into digital phenotyping. In particular, we discuss the link between mental health symptoms and keystroke metadata from smartphones.

Dr Taylor A. Braund is a Research Fellow at Black Dog Institute and UNSW School of Clinical Medicine, Australia. To see more of Taylor’s work, you can reach out on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Research mentioned in this episode

Braund, T.A. (2024). The continued hype and hope of digital phenotyping. Nature Reviews Psychology, 3(448).

Braund, T. A., O’Dea, B., Bal, D., Maston, K., Larsen, M., Werner-Seidler, A., Tillman, G., & Christensen, H. (2023). Associations between smartphone keystroke metadata and mental health symptoms in adolescents: Findings from the Future Proofing Study. JMIR Mental Health, 10(e44986). 

Braund, T. A., Zin, M. T., Boonstra, T. W., Wong, Q. J. J., Larsen, M. E., Christensen, H., Tillman, G., O’Dea, B. (2022). Smartphone sensor data for identifying and monitoring symptoms of mood disorders: A longitudinal observational study. JMIR Mental Health, 9(5):e35549 

O’Dea, B., Braund, T. A., Batterham, P. J., Larsen, M. E., Glozier, N., & Whitton, A. E. (2024). Reading between the lines: Identifying the linguistic markers of Anhedonia for the stratification of depression. CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. (Paper)

Seminal digital phenotyping papers

Huckvale, K., Venkatesh, S., & Christensen, H. (2019). Toward clinical digital phenotyping: A timely opportunity to consider purpose, quality, and safety. npj Digital Medicine, 2(88).

Insel, T. R. (2017). Digital phenotyping: Technology for a new science of behavior. JAMA, 318(13):1215–1216. 

Torous, J., Kiang, M. V., Lorme, J., & Onnela, J. P. (2016). New tools for new research in psychiatry: A scalable and customizable platform to empower data driven smartphone research. JMIR Mental Health, 3(2):e16.

Some available digital phenotyping platforms

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/onnela-lab/beiwe-research-platform/

https://www.digitalpsych.org/lamp.html

https://www.biaffect.com/

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Braund, T. A. (2024, Oct 1). Digital phenotyping: Using smartphone metadata to predict mental health symptoms (No. 22) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Taylor A. Braund for sharing your time and expertise. Please note that the views and opinions expressed by Taylor in this episode are his own and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policy of his employer.

In this episode, I catch up with Dr Miiamaaria Kujala to hear about her research on human-dog relationships. Miiamaaria studies how humans understand dog communication, how dogs understand humans, and the factors affecting the interaction between the two species such as culture, human personality and dog behaviour.

We discuss:
- Her personal journey from philosophy to neuroscience and eventually to studying both ends of the leash
- The cultural differences in dog ownership between countries like Finland and Australia
- The impact of human personality traits on dog behaviour and the human-dog relationship
- How emotional closeness and perceived costs of dog ownership vary among different personalities
- The methods used to measure dog cognition and behaviour, including the fascinating "impossible task" experiment.

Dr. Miiamaaria Kujala is Academy Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology at University of Jyväskylä, Finland. To see more of Miiamaaria’s work you can access her research group’s web page.

Papers mentioned in this episode

Bender, Y., Bräuer, J., & Schweinberger, S. R. (2023). What makes a good dog-owner team? – A systematic review about compatibility in personality and attachment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 260. (Behind a pay wall)

Dwyer, F., Bennett, P. C., & Coleman, G. J. (2006). Development of the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS). Anthrozoös, 19(3), 243-256. (Behind a pay wall)

Kujala, M. V., Imponen, N., Pirkkala, A., Silfverberg, T., Parviainen, T., Tiira, K., & Kiuru, N. (2023). Modulation of dog-owner relationship and dog social and cognitive behavior by owner temperament and dog breed group. Scientific reports, 13(1), 14739. (Open access!)

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Kujala, M. V. (2024, September 2). Factors that affect human-dog relationships (No. 21) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Dr Miiamaaria Kujala for sharing your time and expertise. Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae.

This episode focuses on Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald’s research in trauma exposure and mental health in TV news workers. We discuss how camera operators and reporters have different kinds of trauma experiences, the importance of social support, substance use, and symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout.

Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald is Senior Research Officer, Australian Institute of Family Studies and Adjunct Lecturer, School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University. If you want to keep up to date with Jasmine, you can visit her website, or reach out on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Recorded: November 2021.

Research papers discussed in this episode

Williams-Wynn, N. & MacDonald, J. B. (In press). Trauma exposure and substance use in journalists: A narrative review. Australian Community Psychologist.

MacDonald, J. B., Dale, E., Metcalf, D., Hodgins, G., & Saliba, A. J. (2021). Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in journalist samples: A systematic literature review. Traumatology. DOI: 10.1037/trm0000337

MacDonald, J. B., Backholm, K., Saliba, A. J., & Hodgins, G. (2021). Predictors of trauma reactions in TV news camera operators. Traumatology. DOI: 10.1037/trm0000332

MacDonald, J. B., Hodgins, G., & Saliba, A. J., Metcalf, D. (2021). Journalists and depressive symptoms: A systematic literature review. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse. DOI: 10.1177/15248380211016022

MacDonald, J. B., Fox, R., & Saliba, A. J. (2020). Contextualizing psychological outcomes for TV news journalists: Role differences in industry culture, organizational hierarchy and trauma exposure. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/10720

MacDonald, J. B., & Fox, R. (2018). Trauma Amongst TV News Crews: The protective function of crew solidarity. In M.-T. Leung, & L.-M. Tan (Eds.), Applied Psychology Readings (pp. 21–38). Singapore: Springer.

MacDonald, J. B., Hodgins, G., & Saliba, A. J. (2017). Trauma exposure in journalists: A systematic literature review. Fusion Journal – Dangerous Journalism, Issue 11. Available online: http://www.fusion-journal.com/issue/011-dangerous-journalism/trauma-e

MacDonald, J. B., Saliba, A. J., Hodgins, G., & Ovington, L. A. (2016). Burnout in journalists: A systematic literature review. Burnout Research, 3(2), 34–44.

MacDonald, J. B., Saliba A. J., & Hodgins, G. (2016). Journalists and substance use: A systematic literature review. Substance Abuse, 37(3), 402–411. DOI: 10.1080/08897077.2015.1101732

Sensitive content warning

This episode refers to a number of potentially traumatic events news workers might be exposed to like harm to children, death, sexual violence, and war/conflict. However, these topics are not the main focus of the episode and lived experiences are not discussed. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Tillman, G. (2022, October 31). Mental health and TV news workers (No. 12) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Acknowledgements

The audio edit for this episode was completed by Amy Edwards. Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald did a final edit for content. The transcript for this episode was checked for clarity by Amy Edwards.

This episode and the last one focus on Dr Evita March’s research in the area of cyber psychology. In this second part of our discussion, we consider how the dark tetrad of personality can help us understand cyber dating abuse. Along the way, we consider the role of attachment style and jealousy in intimate partner violence and coercive control online.

Dr Evita March is a Senior Lecturer in psychology in the School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University. If you want to keep up to date with Evita, you can visit her Federation University staff profile page or reach out on Twitter.

Research papers discussed in this episode

Branson, M., & March, E. (2021). Dangerous dating in the digital age: Jealousy, hostility, narcissism, and psychopathy as predictors of cyber dating abuse. Computers in Human Behavior, 119. DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2021.106711

I also refer to this paper, so thought I would share it here too:

Lim, S. Y., & MacDonald, J. B. (2022). COVID-19-related racial discrimination on Asian Australians: An evaluation of symptoms of psychological distress, social support, and acculturation. Traumatology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000374

Language warning

This episode refers to the sharing of unsolicited explicit images, sometimes referred to colloquially as ‘dick pics’, a term used occasionally in this episode.

 
Sensitive content warning

This episode talks about cyber dating abuse. The discussion remains broad and at the level of variables that can predict the likelihood someone might be abusive towards their partner. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline or 1800RESPECT. 

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & March, E. (2022, June 5). An evolutionary perspective of online behaviour (Part 2: Cyber dating abuse)(No. 11) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Acknowledgements
The transcript for this episode was developed by Eugenie Dale.

This episode and the next one focus on Dr Evita March’s research in the area of cyber psychology. In this first part of our discussion, we start by using mate selection as an example of evolutionary psychology. We then go on to see how the dark tetrad of personality can help us understand antisocial online behaviours like trolling. In the next episode, we dive into Evita’s research on cyber dating abuse.

Dr Evita March is a Senior Lecturer in psychology in the School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University. If you want to keep up to date with Evita, you can visit her Federation University staff profile page or reach out on Twitter.

Research papers discussed in this episode
March, E., & Steele, G. (2020). High esteem and hurting others online: Trait sadism moderates the relationship between self-esteem and internet trolling. Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking, 23(7), 441–446. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2019.0652

Sensitive content warning

This episode refers briefly to suicide as a result of being trolled online. However, suicide is not the focus of the episode and lived experiences are not discussed. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & March, E. (2022, April 20). An evolutionary perspective of online behaviour (Part 1: Trolling) (No. 10) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Acknowledgements
The transcript for this episode was developed by Eugenie Dale.

This episode focuses on Dr Will Dobud’s research in the area of outdoor and adventure therapies. We unpack the solution-focused therapeutic work he does on expeditions with young people experiencing poor mental health and/or substance use.

Dr Will Dobud is a Lecturer in social work in the School of Social Work and Arts, Charles Sturt University. Will is also the director of True North Expeditions, an adventure therapy program for adolescents, based in Adelaide, Australia. If you want to keep up to date with Will’s work, you can visit his website, CSU staff profile page, or reach out on Twitter or Facebook.

Research papers discussed in this episode

Dobud, W. W., & Harper, N. J. (2018). Of Dodo birds and common factors: A scoping review of direct comparison trials in adventure therapy. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 31, 16–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.01.005

Harper, N.J., & Dobud, W.W. (Eds.). (2020). Outdoor therapies: An introduction to practices, possibilities, and critical perspectives (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429352027

Pringle, G., Dobud, W., & Harper, N. J. (2021). The next frontier: Wilderness therapy and the treatment of complex trauma. In E. Brymer, M. Rogerson, & J. Barton (Eds.), Nature and health: Physical activity in nature (1 ed., pp. 191-207). Routledge.

Sponsor shout out

A big thank you to Taylor & Francis for sponsoring this episode. They are providing two electronic copies of Dr Will Dobud’s book ‘Outdoor therapies: An introduction to practices, possibilities, and critical perspectives’ for a special giveaway. To find out more about how to enter the draw to win a copy of Will’s book, please check out the Psych Attack social media accounts on either Twitter or Facebook.

Sensitive content warning

This episode refers briefly to self-harm in the context of therapeutic practice with young people experiencing poor mental health. However, self-harm is not the focus of the episode and lived experiences are not discussed. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Dobud, W. (2022, Jan 31). Exploring outdoor therapies (No. 9) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Acknowledgements
The transcript for this episode was developed by Eugenie Dale.

This episode focuses on Dr Erica McIntyres’ transdisciplinary research in the area of environmental psychology. We discuss the impact of environmental contaminants and urban design on human and planetary health and wellbeing.

Dr Erica McIntyre is a Research Consultant in the Institute for Sustainable Futures and a Visiting Fellow in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). If you want to keep up to date with Erica’s research, you can visit her UTS staff profile page and Google Scholar page, or reach out on Twitter.

In this episode, Erica refers to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Singapore as an example of biophilic design. You can read about the hospital and see some images here.

Research papers discussed in this episode

Connon, I. L. C., Prior, J. H., McIntyre, E., Adams, J., & Madden, B (2019). How does living with a disability affect resident worry about environmental contamination? A study of a long-term pervasive hazard. Environmental Hazards, 18(5), 459–478. https://doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2019.1627997

McIntyre, E., Prior, J., Connon, I., Adams, J., & Madden, B. (2018). Sociodemographic predictors of residents worry about contaminated sites. The Science of the total environment, 643, 1623–1630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.261

Prior, J. H., Connon, I. L. C., McIntyre, E., Adams, J., Capon, A., Kent, J., Rissel, C., Thomas, L. E., Thompson, S. M., Westcott, H. (2018). Built environment interventions for human and planetary health: Integrating health in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Public Health Research & Practice, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp2841831

Prior, J., Fam, D., McIntyre, E., Adams, J., & Connon, I. 2020. Guide for Creating Stakeholder Engagement Plans for Contaminated Sites in NSW. University of Technology Sydney. http://hdl.handle.net/10453/142930

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & McIntyre, E. (2021, December 18). The impact of the environment on health and wellbeing (No. 8) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

In this episode, Dr Tanya Hanstock and I discuss key issues in mental health for children and young people, using bipolar disorder as an example. Tanya also offers practical tips for how to balance research and practice.

Dr Tanya Hanstock is a Senior Lecturer with the School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Australia. If you want to keep up to date with Tanya’s research you can visit her university profile page or reach out via email (tanya.hanstock@newcastle.edu.au).

Research papers discussed in this episode

Hanstock, T., & Tse, S. (2017). Bipolar disorders. In N. Pelling, & L. Burton, Abnormal psychology in context: The Australian and New Zealand handbook (pp. 106–115). Cambridge.

Kay-Lambkin, F. J., Thornton, L., Lappin, J. M., Hanstock, T., Sylvia, L., Jacka, F., Baker, A. L., Berk, M., Mitchell, P. B., Callister, R., Rogers, N., Webster, S., Dennis, S., Oldmeadow, C., MacKinnon, A., Doran, C., Turner, A., & Hunt, S. (2016). 

Study protocol for a systematic review of evidence for lifestyle interventions targeting smoking, sleep, alcohol/other drug use, physical activity, and healthy diet in people with bipolar disorder. Systematic Reviews, 5(1), 106. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-016-0282-9

Nunn, K., Hanstock, T., & Lask, B. (2008). Who's who of the brain: A guide to its inhabitants, where they live and what they do. Jessica Kinglsey Publishers.

Scott, N., Hanstock, T. L., & Patterson-Kane, L. (2013). Using narrative therapy to treat eating disorder not otherwise specified. Clinical Case Studies, 12(4), 307–321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534650113486184

Sponsor shout out

A big thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for sponsoring this episode. They are providing two copies of Dr Tanya Hanstock’s book ‘Who's who of the brain’ for a special giveaway. To find out more about how to enter the draw to win a copy of Tanya’s book, please check out the Psych Attack social media accounts on either Twitter or Facebook.

Sensitive content warning

This episode refers to suicide and self-harm in the context of mental health practice with clients who have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. However, these topics are not the main focus of the episode and lived experiences are not discussed. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Hanstock, T. (2021, October 30). Mental health disorders and child development (No. 7) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

This episode focuses on Dr Nicole Sugden’s research using neuropsychological assessment tools and uses this work as the basis for a discussion of the importance of psychometric evaluation of assessment tools in general. In particular, we discuss Dr Sugden’s fascinating findings in the areas of premorbid functioning and prospective memory.

Dr Nicole Sugden is a Lecturer with the School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University based in Bathurst, Australia. If you want to keep up to date with Nicole’s research you can visit her Research Gate profile or keep in touch on Twitter (@SudgenNicole). 

Research papers discussed in this episode

Sugden, N., Thomas, M., & Kiernan, M. (2021). A scoping review of the utility of self-report and informant-report prospective memory measures. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2021.1875851

Sugden, N., Thomas, M., Kiernan, M., & Wilesmith, M. (2021). Validation of the Prospective Memory Concerns Questionnaire (PMCQ). Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 15, 686850. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2021.686850

Thomas, M. D., Sugden, N., McGrath, A., Rohr, P., Weekes, C., & Skilbeck, C. E. (2020). Investigating the Test of Premorbid Functioning (TOPF) in predicting Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - Second edition (WASI-II) scores in an Australian sample. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 17, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2020.1842213

Sponsor shout out

This episode was sponsored by Arkadia Beverages who are all about taking some time out of the day for yourself. So, for this episode you might like to settle in with a warm cup of chai and enjoy an Arkadia moment. This episode also has info about how Australian listeners can go in the draw to win an Arkadia Beverages prize pack.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Sugden, N. (2021, September 30). Psychometrics and psychological assessment tools (No. 6) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

This episode focuses on Dr Averil Cook’s work in the area of political psychology. We discuss examples of how to apply systemic therapeutic approaches with the intention of challenging mainstream assumptions in psychology and developing research and practice that is driven by social justice and cultural awareness.

Dr Averil Cook is Director and ​Clinical Psychologist at Bodhi And Psychology Pty Ltd, based in Sydney, Australia. If you want to keep up to date with Averil’s work, you can visit: http://www.bodhiandpsychology.com.au            

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Cook, A. (Host). (2021, August 30). Political psychology and systemic therapeutic approaches (No. 5) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

This episode focuses on Dr Robyn Brunton’s research unpacking the connection between women’s adverse childhood experiences, such as various kinds of abuse, and subsequent pregnancy-related anxiety.

Dr Robyn Brunton is a Lecturer with the School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University based in Bathurst, Australia. If you want to keep up to date with Robyn’s research you can visit her university research outputs page. 

Research papers discussed in this episode

Brunton, R., & Dryer, R. (2021). Child sexual abuse and pregnancy: A systematic review of the literature. Child abuse & neglect, 111, 104802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104802

Brunton, R. J., Dryer, R., Krageloh, C., Saliba, A., Kohlhoff, J., & Medvedev, O. (2018). The Pregnancy-related Anxiety Scale: A validity examination using Rasch analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 236C, 127-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.04.116 

 
Brunton, R. J., Dryer, R., Saliba, A., & Kohlhoff, J. (2019). The initial development of the Pregnancy-related Anxiety Scale. Women & Birth, 32(1), e118–e130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2018.05.004

Brunton, R., Wood, T., & Dryer, R. (2020). Childhood abuse, pregnancy-related anxiety and the mediating role of resilience and social support. Journal of Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105320968140

 
Dryer, R., & Brunton, R. (In press). Psychometric properties of the Pregnancy-related Anxiety Scale – Screener. Psychological Assessment.

At the time of this episode’s release, Robyn’s book is available for pre-order:

Dryer, R., & Brunton, R. (Eds.). (2021). Pregnancy-related anxiety: Theory, research, and practice. Routledge.

Sensitive content warning

This episode covers the connection between child sexual, physical, and psychological abuse and subsequent experiences of pregnancy-related anxiety. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Brunton, R. (2021, July 29). Women's psychosocial health (No. 4) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

This episode explores the intersection between physiotherapy and psychology with Ryan McGrath. Ryan describes his research unpacking encounters between physiotherapists and clients experiencing psychological distress.

Ryan McGrath is a practicing physiotherapist and also a PhD candidate with the School of Community Health at Charles Sturt University, based in Albury, Australia. If you want to keep up to date with Ryan’s research you can visit his university research outputs page or email him on ryanlachlanmcgrath@gmail.com
 

Research papers discussed in this episode

McGrath, R. L., MacDonald, J. B., Verdon, S., Parnell, T., & Smith, M. (2021). Encounters between physiotherapists and clients with suicidal thoughts and behaviours: A narrative literature review. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, 49 (3). DOI: 10.15619/NZJP/49.2.03

McGrath, R. L., Parnell, T., Verdon, S., MacDonald, J. B., Smith, M. (2020) Trust, conversations and the ‘middle space’: A qualitative exploration of the experiences of physiotherapists with clients with suicidal thoughts and behaviours. PLoS ONE, 15 (9). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238884

Sensitive content warning

This episode refers to suicidal thoughts and behaviours in the context of things physiotherapists are likely to have discussions with clients about. However, this episode covers the experiences of physiotherapists and specific lived experiences of clients are not discussed. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & McGrath, R. (2021, June 29). The intersection between physiotherapy and psychology (No. 3) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

In this episode, I catch up with Dr Jade McEwen to hear about her professional and personal experiences of self-care, the benefits of being unapologetically self-promoting, and working out how to be heard in order to get the support you need.

Dr Jade McEwen is Assistant Director of Research, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Australia. To see more of Jade’s work, you can reach out on LinkedIn or send her an email.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Hough, A., & McEwen, J. (2024). Building quality and safeguarding into disability service provision. In: Bigby, C., Hough, A. (eds) Disability Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6143-6_14

The whole book that Jade’s chapter comes from is open access. Thank you to the authors (and their respective institutions) for making this happen!

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B., & McEwen, J. (2024, Aug 1). Self-advocacy and professional relationships (No. 20) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Dr Jade McEwen for sharing your time and expertise. Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae.

This episode explores mathematical models of how people make decisions with Dr Gabriel Tillman. Gabriel describes his research into why people are worse at driving when someone is talking to them, as well as the parts of speech sounds people use to understand what they are hearing.

Dr Gabriel Tillman is a Lecturer in psychology at Federation University, based in Ballarat, Australia. If you want to keep up to date with Gabriel’s research, you can follow him on Google Scholar or Twitter.

Research papers discussed in this episode
Starns, J. J., Cataldo, A. M., Rotello, C. M., Annis, J., Aschenbrenner, A., Bröder, A., Cox, G., Criss, A., Curl, R. A., Dobbins, I. G., Dunn, J., Enam, T., Evans, N. J., Farrell, S., Fraundorf, S. H., Gronlund, S. D., Heathcote, A., Heck, D. W., Hicks, J. L., … Wilson, J. (2019). Assessing theoretical conclusions with blinded inference to investigate a potential inference crisis. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 2 (4), 335–349. DOI: 10.1177/2515245919869583 | 

Tillman, G., Benders, T., Brown, S. D., & van Ravenzwaaij, D. (2017). An evidence accumulation model of acoustic cue weighting in vowel perception. Journal of Phonetics, 61, 1–12. DOI: 10.1016/j.wocn.2016.12.001

Tillman, G., Strayer, D., Eidels, A., & Heathcote, A. (2017). Modeling cognitive load effects of conversation between a passenger and driver. Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 79 (6), 1795–1803. DOI: 10.3758/s13414-017-1337-2. 

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Tillman, G. (2021, June 22). Mathematical models of how people make decisions (No. 2) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. https://www.psychattack.com

Acknowledgements
The transcript for this episode was developed by Eugenie Dale.

This episode explores the education and training of future psychologists with Dr Elly Quinlan. Elly describes her research unpacking tolerance of uncertainty in psychologists working with complex clients or clients who might be at risk, as well as the potential for discomfort to lead psychologists to avoid asking clients about their sexual abuse histories. 

Dr Elly Quinlan is Senior lecturer and course coordinator for the Master of Professional Psychology program at the Australian College of Applied Psychology, based in Sydney, Australia. If you want to keep up to date with Elly’s research you can follow her on Research Gate.

Research papers discussed in this episode

Causo, F., & Quinlan, E. (2021) Defeating dragons and demons: Consumers’ perspectives on mental health recovery in role-playing games. Australian Psychologist, 56 (3), 256–267, DOI: 10.1080/00050067.2021.1890983

Nixon, B., & Quinlan, E. (2021). Asking the hard questions: Psychologist’s discomfort with enquiring about sexual abuse histories. Violence Against Women. DOI: 10.1177/10778012211014558

Quinlan, E., & Deane, F. P. (Under review). A longitudinal study of trainee psychologists’ tolerance of uncertainty, state anxiety and confidence in case formulation.

Quinlan, E., Schilder, S., & Deane, F. P. (2021). “This wasn’t in the manual”: A qualitative exploration of tolerance of uncertainty in the practicing psychology context. Australian Psychologist, 56 (2), 154–167. DOI: 10.1080/00050067.2020.1829451 

 
Related practice guides
MacDonald, J.B., Quinlan, E., Truong, M., & Lazarus, M. (2024). Managing uncertainty in professional practice(Practice guide). Melbourne: Child Family Community Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies.

MacDonald, J. B., & Quinlan, E. (2022). How to ask adult mental health clients about sexual abuse. Retrieved from Australian Institute of Family Studies: https://aifs.gov.au/resources/short-articles/how-ask-adult-mental-health-clients-about-sexual-abuse

Sensitive content warning

This episode refers to suicide and sexual abuse histories in the context of things professional psychologists are likely to have discussions with clients about. However, these topics are not the main focus of the episode and lived experiences are not discussed. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Quinlan, E. (2021, June 13). Education and training of future psychologists (No. 1) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Acknowledgements
The transcript for this episode was developed by Eugenie Dale.

In this episode, I catch up with Dr Marissa Edwards to hear about her journey advocating for better academic mental health and lessons she has learned along the way.

We discuss:

• What academic mental health advocacy is and why it is important
• Our own personal challenges working in academia
• The difference between individual characteristics and systemic issues when it comes to academic mental health
• The importance of sharing success and failures
• Ways to safeguard your time and wellbeing as an academic. 

Dr Marissa Edwards is Senior Lecturer in the School of Business, University of Queensland, Australia. To see more about Marissa's work, you can follow her on X/Twitter (@DrMarissaKate) or connect on LinkedIn.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Voices of academia blog

The Australian University Staff: Work, Digital Stress and Wellbeing Survey report

Research Handbook of Academic Mental Health

Emotions and failure in academic life: Normalising the experience and building resilience

Sensitive content warning
In this episode, we talk about the mental health challenges that academics face. We speak briefly about an example of an academic who experienced suicidal ideation when faced with perceived failure. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

If you are based in Australia, this resource links to helplines, telephone and online counselling services for children, young people and adults.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Edwards, M. (2024, July 3). Academic mental health (No. 19) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Dr Marissa Edwards for sharing your time and expertise. Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae.

In this episode, I catch up with Dr Sarah Ashton to hear about her work in the area of sexual health and intimacy. In particular, we focus on kink and paraphilias, where they come from, as well how to treat a paraphilic disorder and work with clients experiencing shame.

Dr Sarah Ashton is a registered psychologist, Board Approved Supervisor, training author, and the Director and Founder of SHIPS.

Sexual Health and Intimacy Psychological Services (SHIPS) is a progressive psychology organisation in Melbourne, Australia. They provide sex, intimacy and mental health treatment & training.

You can follow SHIPS’ work on LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and their blog. 

Sensitive content warning
The episode focuses predominantly on the importance of understanding the whole person, including their erotic experiences and desires. We talk about a wide range of erotic experiences and the conversation covers experiences that are fulfilling and pleasurable, as well as some examples of disorders where harm is done. This episode refers to sexual assault, pedophilia and exhibitionism. Specific case examples and lived experience are not discussed. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Cite this episode
MacDonald, J. B. & Ashton, S. (2024, June 5). Sex therapy, kink and paraphilias (No. 18) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

In this episode, I catch up with Associate Professor Lindsay Malloy to hear about her research in developmental psychology and the law. In particular, ways to improve investigative interviewing with people who have experienced maltreatment and. In this discussion, Lindsay explains some developmental differences when interviewing children, adolescents and older adults. Much of the conversation focuses on reasons why children might recant disclosures of maltreatment.

Dr Lindsay Malloy is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Ontario Tech University, Canada. To follow Lindsay's work, you can visit the Development, Context, and Communication Lab website or reach out on Twitter (@LMalloy).

Research papers discussed in this episode
Malloy, L. C. & Mugno, A. P. (2016). Children’s recantation of adult wrongdoing: An experimental investigation. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 145, 11-21.

Wyman, J. & Malloy, L. C. (2023). Increasing disclosures of older adult maltreatment: A review of best practices for interviewing older adult eyewitnesses and victims. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, DOI: 10.1080/13218719.2023.2192260

Sensitive content warning
This episode refers to maltreatment experienced by children, adolescents and older adults. The episode focuses predominantly on barriers to disclosure and issues in investigative interviewing. Specific case examples and lived experience are not discussed. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Cite this episode
MacDonald, J. B. & Malloy, L. (2024, March 2). Developmental insights for investigative interviewing about maltreatment (No. 17) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

In this episode, I team up again with Dr Rachael Fox (journal editor and academic). We reflect on our publication experiences to share insights that will be especially useful for listeners new to publishing.

We discuss:

·      choosing a journal

·      the importance of scope, formatting, and proofing

·      what to consider when converting a dissertation or thesis into a publication

·      getting support from colleagues

·      communicating with journal editors

·      the mechanics of submission portals

·      receiving and responding to reviewer feedback.

Dr Rachael Fox is Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Australia. Rachael is Editor of the Australian Community Psychologist, an open access peer-reviewed journal. If you want to keep up to date with Rachael, you can reach out via her university profile page.

Resources mentioned in this episode

The following two tools may be useful in findings suitable journals for your work:

Master Journal List (Clarivate)

Jane (Biosemantics)

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Fox, R. (2023, August 3). Tips and tricks for publishing in psychology (No. 16) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Audio edit

The audio edit for this episode was completed by Amy Edwards. Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald did a final edit for content.

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

In this episode, I am have an artificial conversation with a researcher I refer to as Dr Chat GPT. If you haven't already come across Chat GPT, it is open access software online where you can type anything in and it will use artificial intelligence to feed a response back to you. When you give it some context, it can give you some really cool responses.

I have given Dr Chat GPT the context of being an Australian psychology researcher, working at a university, who I want to interview for my podcast. What you hear in this episode is a weird experiment where the conversation is based on the text-based interview I had with Dr Chat GPT, voiced by myself and my better half, Tim.

I ask Dr Chat GPT:

·      What is Chat GPT?

·      What first made you interested in psychology?

·      What makes a good psychology researcher?

·      What are some tips for successful and enjoyable collaborations with other researchers?

·      What kind of psychological research do you do?

·      If you had limitless budget, what study would you conduct and why?

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B (Host). (2023, April 28). Psychological research and collaboration with Dr Chat GPT (An AI experiment) (No. 15) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Acknowledgment

Dr Chat GPT was voiced by Tim MacDonald. The audio edit for this episode was completed by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The transcript for this episode was checked for accuracy by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald.

In this episode I catch up with Dr Rachael Fox, journal editor and academic, to discuss what publishing in psychology is and take a critical lens to highlight some issues and barriers to publishing. 

We discuss:

·      critical and community psychological approaches to research

·      why people publish in psychology

·      common ways quality is thought about in psychological research and publishing

·      kinds of journals and how they are ranked

·      how research either about or conducted by certain groups of people can be excluded through mainstream publishing practices.

Dr Rachael Fox is Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Australia. Rachael is Editor of the Australian Community Psychologist, an open access peer-reviewed journal. If you want to keep up to date with Rachael, you can reach out via her university profile page.

More info about the ideas covered in this episode

Contesi, F. & Terrone, E. (2018). Introduction. Philosophical Papers, 47(1), 1-20.

Fox, R,  Nic Giolla Easpaig, B.  (2021). Engaging critical methodologies in qualitative research methods with undergraduate psychology students. Journal of Community Psychology, 49(1), 228– 240.

Hagve, M. (2020). The money behind academic publishing. Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening.

Tracy, S. J. (2012). The toxic and mythical combination of a deductive writing logic for inductive qualitative research. Qualitative Communication Research, 1(1), 109-141.
 

Van Noorden, R. (2013). Open access: The true cost of science publishing. Nature, 495, 426–429. 

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B & Fox, R. (2023, March 13). A critical look at publishing in psychology (No. 14) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Audio edit

The audio edit for this episode was completed by Amy Edwards. Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald did a final edit for content.

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

This episode focuses on Dr Abigail Alfrey’s research and practice on the ways animals can be involved in mental health practice. We discuss: (1) the significance of pets for people experiencing psychosis, (2) including dogs in cognitive assessment to improve testing experiences and outcomes for child clients, and (3) reducing practitioner burnout by promoting animals in the workplace. We touch super briefly on other creative methods, like poetry, in therapy.

Dr Abigail Alfrey is Senior Clinical Psychologist at KMPT Early Intervention in Psychosis Service in England, and Sessional Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University. If you want to keep up to date with Abi, you can reach out on LinkedIn.

Research papers discussed in this episode

Alfrey, A. (2021). The influence of dogs’ presence on children’s performance on cognitive tests: Implications for clinical practice. Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin.

Alfrey, A., Church, S., Christodoulou, N., & Harding, E. (2022). “Why should the fish feel safe? I don’t feel safe!”: An Audit of Pet Ownership within an NHS Service for Adults with Severe Mental Illness, with Lessons for Service Improvement. People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 5(1).

Alfrey, A., Field, V., Xenophontes, I., Springham, N., & Holttum, S. (2022). Identifying the Mechanisms of Poetry Therapy and Perceived Effects on Participants: A Synthesised Replication Case Study. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 78, 101882.

More info about other stuff mentioned in this episode

The International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) is the global association of organizations that engage in practice, research and/or education in animal assisted activity, animal assisted therapy, and service animal training.

A short news article about Canterbury Christ Church University work with justice dogs.

A short article about the global trend of pets in the workplace.

Sensitive content warning

This episode refers to suicidal ideation in the context of mental health practice with clients who experience psychosis. However, suicide is not the focus of the episode and lived experiences are not discussed in detail. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B & Alfred, A. (2022, December 30). The role of animals in mental health practice (No. 13) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Audio edit

The audio for this episode was completed by Amy Edwards. Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald did a final edit for content.

In this episode, I catch up with Dominique Barker (CIO) for a deep dive on project management and leadership. We discuss:

1. Dom's professional experience and project management origin story
2. Implementing real change and making it stick
3. Quantum thinking
4. Failing fast and forward
5. Harnessing executive sponsorship
6. Providing just-in-time information
7. Giving back to stakeholders
8. Doing project management in your personal life.

About Dominique Barker

Dominique Barker is a CIO (Chief Information Officer) with deep experience in IT strategy, enterprise leadership, AI, and organisation‑wide digital transformation across complex public‑sector and university environments. In this episode Dom shares experience gleaned from leading organisation‑wide adoption of new ways of working, delivering large and small‑scale generative and agentic AI implementations, and driving major technology uplift programs. Dom is known for bringing people along on the journey. She partners closely with business executives and delivery teams to ensure technology investments achieve measurable outcomes, hit strategic targets, and deliver lasting organisational change.

More from Dom

• Dominique Barker on quantum thinking in the age of AI (Online article, Public Spectrum, March 2026)
• Coding, kids, and the invisible double shift of tech mums (Online article, ChannelLife, February 2026)
• Australia's AI outlook (Featured contributor, Moxie Insights, December 2025)
• Rewriting Your Career Mid-Flight – Dominique Barker on the Joyful Upsides of Tech Leadership (Podcast episode, Tech to Exec, September 2025)

Books recommended by Dom 

• #noprojects: A culture of continuous value. By Evan Leybourn and Shane Hastie 
  • The #noprojects online community
• Bad change: 50 ways why change doesn't work and 266 tips to make it better. By Peter Phan and Gilbert Kruidenier
  • Book website
• The intangibles of leadership: The 10 qualities of superior executive performance. By Richard A. Davis 

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Barker, D. (2026, April 29). Project management and leadership (No. 31) [Podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. It may contain errors.

Acknowledgements

Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jaz MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae and Dr Jaz MacDonald. Special thanks to Dominique Barker for sharing your time and expertise.

Related Psych Attack Episodes

• Self-advocacy and professional relationships
• Writing and publishing a non-fiction book
• Academic mental health

Related blog posts

• Self-advocacy and professional relationships. By Max Loomes.
• Book recommendation: ‘The checklist manifesto’ by Atul Gawande. By Dr Jaz MacDonald.

Snack Attacks are short segments taken from a full episode, so you can have a quick topic taster.

This Snack Attack comes from episode 30 'Apple Cider Vinegar: Panel discussion about the Australian TV drama'

Dr Suzie Gibson explains what we can learn about ourselves and the society we live in by analysing fictional texts.

For links to related research articles and books mentioned in this Snack Attack, go to the full episode show notes.

To round out 2024, I have created this highlights episode.

This year, the 6 guests (from Australia, Finland and the U.S.) and I have covered:

• investigative interviewing for disclosures of maltreatment (Episode 17)
• what sex therapy is, kink and paraphilias (Episode 18)
• academic mental health (Episode 19)
• self-advocacy and professional development and relationships (Episode 20)
• human-dog relationships (Episode 21)
• adolescent mental health and the use of digital phenotyping (Episode 22).

Cite this episode
MacDonald, J. B. (2024, December 20). Psych Attack highlights 2024 (No. 23) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Snack Attacks are short segments taken from a full episode, so you can have a quick topic taster.

This Snack Attack comes from episode 30 'Apple Cider Vinegar: Panel discussion about the Australian TV drama'

I describe what parasocial relationships are and some interesting related research findings. I also share some of my own parasocial relationships. Dr Erica McIntyre and I discuss examples of parasocial relationships in 'Apple Cider Vinegar'.

For links to related research articles and books mentioned in this Snack Attack, go to the full episode show notes.

'Apple Cider Vinegar' is an Australian TV series that was released in 2025. It presents a dramatised version of the real world story of Belle Gibson, an Australian social media wellness influencer.

In the series, Belle posts publicly about her experience of brain cancer and promotes alternative approaches to treatment to her millions of Instagram followers. And through a recipe app that was promoted by Apple called 'The Whole Pantry'. The primary conflict of the series being that Belle never had brain cancer.

This episode of Psych Attack is a panel discussion between myself (Dr Jaz MacDonald), Dr Erica McIntyre, Dr Suzie Gibson, and Associate Professor Donna Bridges. Each of us brings a unique lens to our viewing of the series, informed by our own life experiences and professional expertise.

The panel
Dr Jaz MacDonald: my area of expertise is trauma exposure and reactions, as well as mental health. I have a PhD in psychology and am a trained social worker with experience in mental health assessment. I mostly spend my time doing this podcast and working at an Australian research agency, creating practice resources for practitioners supporting children and families.

Dr Erica McIntyre is a psychology and public health researcher and educator, now working as an ADHD Coach and Career and Leadership Coach. Erica has a PhD in psychology and has also practiced as a herbalist. Her research focuses on health and wellbeing, specifically health care decision making.

Dr Suzie Gibson (PhD in literature and philosophy) is a Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Charles Sturt University. Trained in close textual analysis, Suzie surveys texts across fields and disciplines — literature, film, television and philosophy. She is interested in the ideological underpinnings of texts as well as with their aesthetic import and how it impacts upon their social and cultural meaning.

Associate Professor Donna Bridges is a sociologist and a gender theorist at Charles Sturt University. Donna's research focuses primarily on gender inequality and work – specifically women integrating into male dominated fields and the barriers they encounter. This led her to an interest in sexual harassment and violence.

Donna is also a creator and host for the podcast 'Conversations for a Brave New World' produced by the Gender Network at CSU. Each month, the podcast shares knowledge, scholarship and research about gender from the diverse perspectives of experts and scholars. The episode I have linked to is one where Donna interviews me (Jaz) about my team's coercive control research and practice resources.

Sensitive content warning
This episode refers to cancer, mental illness, and intimate partner violence. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.

Content mentioned in this episode
Apple Cider Vinegar, Netflix

The Search for Instagram's Worst Con-Artist, Netflix

Dederer, C. (2023). Monsters: What do we do with great art by bad people? Sceptre.

Schur, M. (2022). This sandwich is morally problematic. But it's also delicious. Can I still eat it? In How to be perfect: The correct answer to every moral question (pp. 185-208). Quercus.

Research articles on parasocial relationships
Baek, Y. M., Bae, Y., & Jang, H. (2013). Social and parasocial relationships on social network sites and their differential relationships with users’ psychological well-being. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(7), 512-517.

Balaban, D. C., Szambolics, J., & Chirică, M. (2022). Parasocial relations and social media influencers' persuasive power. Exploring the moderating role of product involvement. Acta Psychologica, 230. DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103731.

Bennett, L. L. (2024). Understanding parasocial relationships and the mental health impact. [Master's thesis, Louisiana Tech University].

Hoffner, C. A., & Bond, B. J. (2022). Parasocial relationships, social media, & well-being. Current Opinions in Psychology, 45. DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101306.

Liebers, N., & Schramm, H. (2019). Parasocial interactions and relationships with media characters–An inventory of 60 years of research. Communication Research Trends, 38(2).

Madison, C., & Adam, A. (2023). Perceived marginalization, social support, and mental health: The role of parasocial relationships. Modern Psychological Studies, 28(2).

Su, B.-C., Wu, L.-W., Chang, Y.-Y.-C., & Hong, R.-H. (2021). Influencers on social media as references: Understanding the importance of parasocial relationships. Sustainability, 13. DOI: 10.3390/su131910919

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B., McIntyre, E., Gibson, S., & Bridges, D. (2026, March 12). Apple Cider Vinegar: Panel discussion about the Australian TV drama (No. 30) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Erica McIntyre, Dr Suzie Gibson, and Associate Professor Donna Bridges for sharing your time and expertise.

Are you a true crime enthusiast but an even bigger research methods nerd? I see you.

If you have watched Mindhunters, read Silence of the Lambs, or are an old school Criminal Minds fan then you already know this study and this team of researchers. In the 1980s a team of FBI agents and researchers teamed up to advance what we knew about serial sexual offenders (serial killers).

In this episode, Dr Monsurul Hoq and I nerd out on the research methods and statistical analysis used in the first peer-reviewed research article that compared crime scene characteristics for organised and disorganised serial killers.

The beauty of this episode is the practical application of statistical methods. We talk about statistical power, alpha inflation, p-hacking, the obsession with p = .05 (conventions in determining statistical significance), and the importance of subject matter expertise and clinical / practical significance.

The paper this episode focuses on
Ressler, R.K., Burgess, A.W., Douglas, J.E., Hartman, C.R., & D’Agostino, R.B. (1986). Sexual Killers and Their Victims: Identifying patterns through crime scene analysis. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1(3), 288-308. https://doi.org/10.1177/088626086001003003 [not open access]

About Dr Monsurul Hoq
Dr Monsurul Hoq has 10 years’ experience as a Biostatistician in medical and health research (in prevention and cure of common childhood illness, transgender health, vaccine uptake, paediatric reference intervals, disability, and mental health), leading, consulting, and performing statistical analysis of data, interpreting findings and reporting results. Prior to working in academia, Monsurul Hoq worked in non-government organisations in Bangladesh and South Sudan, monitoring and evaluating integrated community-based projects in education and child health sector.

Monsurul completed his PhD in Biostatistics at the University of Melbourne. His research established continuous age-specific reference intervals for blood biomarkers in children using a novel statistical method. You can find a list of Monsurul's publications here.

Jaz is writing a book
This interview was conducted in preparation for a book I am writing. If you'd like to be notified when the book is finished, please email me and I will store your email and only contact you when the book is ready for you to read. [hello@jasminebmacdonald.com.au]

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Hoq, M. (2025, December 29). Organised / disorganised typology of serial killers: A statistics deep dive of the 1986 study (No. 29) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Monsurul Hoq for sharing your time and expertise.

Serial killer related blog posts
Serial killers of ‘Mindhunter’: Childhood experiences

The original research report behind ‘Mindhunter’

Comparing the brains of successful and unsuccessful psychopaths

The Crime Classification Manual

The first offender profile

Forensic psychology related episodes
MacDonald, J. B. & Ashton, S. (2024, June 5). Sex therapy, kink and paraphilias (No. 18) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

MacDonald, J. B. & Malloy, L. (2024, March 2). Developmental insights for investigative interviewing about maltreatment (No. 17) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

MacDonald, J. B. & March, E. (2022, June 5). An evolutionary perspective of online behaviour (Part 2: Cyber dating abuse)(No. 11) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Research methods related episodes
MacDonald, J. B. & Braund, T. A. (2024, Oct 1). Digital phenotyping: Using smartphone metadata to predict mental health symptoms (No. 22) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

MacDonald, J. B. & Sugden, N. (2021, September 30). Psychometrics and psychological assessment tools (No. 6) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

MacDonald, J. B. & Tillman, G. (2021, June 22). Mathematical models of how people make decisions (No. 2) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. https://www.psychattack.com

Research methods related blog posts
The pragmatic researcher

What international literature is useful in the Australian context?

Interpretivism in qualitative research

Experiences are socially constructed, but by whom? Constructivism vs constructionism

Interested in going deeper of p-values?
Amrhein, V., Greenland, S., & McShane, B. (2019). Retire statistical significance. Nature, 567, 305-307.

Gelman, A. & Stern, H. (2006). The Difference Between “Significant” and “Not Significant” is not Itself Statistically Significant. The American Statistician, 60(4), 328-331.

Greenland, S., Senn, S.J., Rothman, K...

Professor Emeritus Gregory S. Aldrete explains some of the hallmarks of Ancient Roman psychology (i.e., their values and motivations). Greg shares rich context and examples, weaving together a story of similarities and differences between life in Ancient Rome and life now. We discuss a wide range of topics, from hand gestures used to compensate for lack of microphones in large arenas, tombstone engravings and graffiti messages, common pets, and sources that historians draw on to find the lesser heard voices of ancient Rome.

Greg is Professor Emeritus of history at the University of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Greg is an ancient historian specialising in the study of civilisations, cultures, and history of the ancient Mediterranean world, particularly Ancient Greece and Rome. Greg is driven to figure out how stuff really worked in antiquity. You can reach out to Greg via email: aldretegs@gmail.com

Explore other interesting work by Greg
Books
The Great Courses
Website

I highly recommend subscribing to The Great Courses to access Greg's lecture series The Roman Empire: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome. Tim and I spent much of our end of year break in 2024 watching it.

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Aldrete, G. S. (2025, June 22). In the minds of ancient Romans (No. 28) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Professor Emeritus Gregory Aldrete for sharing your time and expertise.

In this episode, I catch up with Rahim Thawer about his book The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys, which is currently on presale and is being released 1 June, 2025.

The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys offers a safe, inclusive space to examine, understand, and heal from systemic and interpersonal threats to your mental well-being. Based on proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this book provides proven-effective tools and exercises to help you reflect on, confront, and manage difficult emotions; improve self-image and self-esteem; and develop healthy coping skills. This guidebook will help you:

• Cultivate greater self-awareness
• Move past negative thinking habits
• Heal emotional wounds and build resilience
• Challenge heteronormativity and gender role rigidity
• Care for your sexual health.

Rahim is a racialized, queer social worker who works as an instructor, psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, consultant, public speaker, podcast host, and writer. He calls Toronto home and currently teaches at The University of Alabama. His work explores the intersection of mental health and systemic oppression. He has a particular interest in examining innovation in queer relationships and exploring how anti-racist, queer-affirming psychoanalytic frameworks can support social workers, training therapists, and organizational leaders.

Pre-order The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys
Amazon US
Amazon Australia

Works mentioned in this episode

Thawer, R. (2025). The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys: Skills to Cope and Thrive as Your Authentic Self. Publisher: New Harbinger Publications. [Pre-Order]

To see more of Rahim's work, check out ladyativan.com

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Thawer, R. (2025, May 13). The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys (No. 27) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Rahim Thawer for sharing your time and expertise.

Dr Will Dobud shares insights about his experience of writing and publishing a non-fiction book - a lessons learnt kind of a chat. Rather than focusing on insights from the book content, we talk about the mechanics, processes, and experiences behind bringing together a non-fiction and mental health focused book.

Will Dobud, PhD, MSW, is a Senior Social Work Lecturer at Charles Sturt University and an award-winning practitioner, educator, and researcher. He is recognised as a practitioner with international experience working with children, adolescents, and families. Will’s research focuses on improving young people’s experiences in therapeutic interventions and outdoor therapies and how clinicians can become more evidence-informed in their decision-making. Will also advocates for youth affected by unethical treatments and interventions, highlighted by the Troubled Teen Industry in the United States. He is a sought-after speaker and trainer for youth-serving organisations, travelling internationally to help organisations enhance their services for those they serve. Will and I collaborate on a wide range of topics and create practice resources together.

Connect with Will on various social media platforms: Facebook, X / Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

Experiential Practice Symposium
Will is also the co-convenor for the first Experiential Practice Symposium held from 21-23 November on CSU’s Port Macquarie Campus. This is an affordable and accessible event with the theme of “Conversation as Experiential Learning.” Everyone is welcome to attend and facilitate an experiential workshop on learning, mental health, or the philosophy of experience. Learn more here: https://experientialpractice.csu.domains/

Other episodes featuring Will
25. Kids these days: Understanding and supporting youth mental health
9. Exploring outdoor therapies

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Dobud, W. (2025, April 12). Writing and publishing a non-fiction book (No. 26) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Will Dobud for sharing your time and expertise.

Related Psych Attack Episodes

22. Digital phenotyping: Using smartphone metadata to predict mental health symptoms
13. The role of animals in mental health practice
7. Mental health disorders and child development

Related practice resources
Building resilience in children and young people
Engaging young children (0-5 years) in nature play

Related blog posts
Child and adolescent mental health conference 2025

In this episode, I catch up again with Dr Will Dobud about his latest book called 'Kids These Days', which is currently on presale.

'Kids These Days' is essentially a protest for protecting the heroism and spirit of youth. Will co-authored 'Kids These Days' with Professor Nevin Harper from the University of Victoria in Canada. This anticipated book offers a frank exploration of the rising rates of youth mental illness and the ways in which increased interference, intervention, and ideology have influenced these trends. To develop the book, Will and Nevin consulted with experts in therapeutic interventions, parenting, education, outdoor play, social media, and environmental toxins. They examined how mainstream media may, in fact, incite heightened moral panic without representing the best available evidence.

Will Dobud, PhD, MSW, is a Senior Social Work Lecturer at Charles Sturt University and an award-winning practitioner, educator, and researcher. He is recognised as a practitioner with international experience working with children, adolescents, and families. Will’s research focuses on improving young people’s experiences in therapeutic interventions and outdoor therapies and how clinicians can become more evidence-informed in their decision-making. Will also advocates for youth affected by unethical treatments and interventions, highlighted by the Troubled Teen Industry in the United States. He is a sought-after speaker and trainer for youth-serving organisations, travelling internationally to help organisations enhance their services for those they serve. Will and I collaborate on a wide range of topics and create practice resources together. 

Connect with Will Dobud and Nevin Harper on various social media platforms:

Will: Facebook, X / Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
Nevin: LinkedIn, Substack, Instagram

Experiential Practice Symposium
Will is also the co-convenor for the first Experiential Practice Symposium held from 21-23 November on CSU’s Port Macquarie Campus. This is an affordable and accessible event with the theme of “Conversation as Experiential Learning.” Everyone is welcome to attend and facilitate an experiential workshop on learning, mental health, or the philosophy of experience. Learn more here: https://experientialpractice.csu.domains/

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Dobud, W. (2025, March 27). Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental (No. 25) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Will Dobud for sharing your time and expertise.

In this episode, I catch up with Rahim Thawer about envy and its impacts in our social and sexual lives.

Rahim is a racialized, queer social worker who works as an instructor, psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, consultant, public speaker, podcast host, and writer. He calls Toronto home and currently teaches at The University of Alabama. His work explores the intersection of mental health and systemic oppression. He has a particular interest in examining innovation in queer relationships and exploring how anti-racist, queer-affirming psychoanalytic frameworks can support social workers, training therapists, and organizational leaders.

Episode content
0:00 - Introduction
1:16 - Rahim's background and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

6:21 - How Rahim got interested in envy

11:48 - The difference between envy and jealousy

17:09 - Queer experiences of envy

20:07 - Envy and systemic oppression

20:53 - How to manage envy

25:49 - Has social media made envy worse?

29:46 - Online content creators and envy

31:22 - Can envy be managed through CBT?

34:39 - Why are some people not impacted by envy?

40:19 - How to keep up to date with Rahim’s work

Works mentioned in this episode

Thawer, R. (2022, June 9). The Matrix of Envy in Our Social and Sexual Lives. Medium.

Thawer, R. (2025). The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys: Skills to Cope and Thrive as Your Authentic Self. Publisher: New Harbinger Publications. [Pre-Order]

To see more of Rahim's work, check out ladyativan.com

Cite this episode

MacDonald, J. B. & Thawer, R. (2025, Jan 15). Envy in our social and sexual lives (No. 24) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

Acknowledgements

Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Rahim Thawer for sharing your time and expertise.