Browsing by Person "Murray, Aja Louise"

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Alexithymia and autistic traits as contributing factors to empathy difficulties in preadolescent children
(2021-03-03) Speyer, Lydia G.; Brown, Ruth; Camus, Lorna; Murray, Aja Louise; Auyeung, Bonnie
Recent evidence suggests that, contrary to traditional views, empathy difficulties may not be a core feature of autism; but are rather due to co-occurring alexithymia. Empathy, alexithymia and autistic traits have yet to be examined concurrently in children. Therefore, we examined the co-occurrence of empathy difficulties and alexithymia in 59 typically developing and 5 autistic children. Multiple measures (self-report, parent-report and a behavioural task) were used to evaluate empathy and to assess differences in self- and parent-reports using multiple regressions. Alexithymia was found to predict empathy significantly better than autistic traits, providing support for the alexithymia hypothesis. From a therapeutic perspective, results suggest autistic children who screen positive for elevated alexithymic traits may benefit from additional support targeting emotion identification.
Establishing the measurement properties of the Residential Environment Impact Scale (Version 4.0)
(Taylor & Francis, 2022-12-09) Harrison, Michele; Forsyth, Kirsty; Murray, Aja Louise; Angarola, Rocco; Henderson, Shona; Fitzpatrick, Linda Irvine; Fisher, Gail
Background Developed as an environment assessment informed by the Model of Human Occupation, the Residential Environment Impact Survey considered the physical, social and activity features of the environment, evaluating the impact of the environment on resident’s quality of life. Clinicians reported that the Residential Environment Impact Survey was a useful tool; however, it had not been structured to be a measurement tool and did not have established psychometric properties. Aims/objectives This study examines the psychometric properties of the restructured Residential Environment Impact Scale Version 4.0 (REIS), which measures the level of environment support provided to residents. Material and methods The REIS was completed across residential sites for people with complex mental health needs. A many facets Rasch analysis was conducted to establish the reliability and validity of the REIS. Results The REIS demonstrated reasonable psychometric properties, with items demonstrating internal scale validity and scale items following an expected pattern of increasingly challenging environment support. Conclusions and significance Initial evidence suggests that the REIS provides a valid and reliable measure of environment support, providing a detailed assessment of how physical, social and activity elements of the environment support or inhibit participation and can be applied across a range of living environments.