Research Interests:  My principal research interests lie in rural health, sustainability and development. My past research has predominantly investigated factors affecting farming sustainability and farm family health from occupational perspectives. My current research interests have evolved to investigate adaptation to sustainability challenges that have arisen from increased climate variability. As such, my research focus presently includes other unique working environments in rural and remote areas, such as the FIFO workforce in the mining industry, commercial fisheries and aquaculture industries in Northern Australia. Additionally, in line with my interest in rural communities’ capacity to adapt to and cope with climate change and variability challenges, my research also focuses on people’s ability to effectively prepare for and be resilient to extreme weather event threats (e.g. cyclones).

 

Research Aims:  

1. Identify factors to enhance the quality of life of people living in rural and remote communities in Northern Australia.

2. Understand the factors that influence preparedness behaviours in communities vulnerable to extreme weather events.

3. Understand the impact of unique working environments on individual, family and community well-being

 

Expected Research Outcomes: 

- Recommendations for effective communication strategies to increase preparedness in communities vulnerable to extreme weather events

- Recommendations for improved quality of work-life interactions in unique working environments

- Recommendations for improving farming community resilience, sustainability and development

 

Students

PhD Candidates

Katerina Kanakis (Primary advisor)

Rebekah Boynton (Secondary advisor)

 

Masters Research  Candidates

Madelyn Pardon (Secondary advisor)

Mitchell Scovall (Primary advisor) 

 

Master of Psychology (Clinical) Candidates

Gillian Lunn

Emma Kassulke

Emma Chalmers

Kelly Williams

 

 

Current Projects

Coastal Communities: Resident attitudes towards development & ecosystem maintenance

Work, home and the environment

Attitudes and behaviours toward disaster preparedness and responses

Impacts of climate change on farmer work practices

Ambivalent environmental attitudes

 

 

Publications

 

Pfaffl, M., McShane, C.J., and Kanakis, K. (2015) Fly-in fly-out and family life: observations from an

Australian remote mine site. In: Abstracts from the 7th Sustainable Development in the Minerals Industry Conference. From: SDMI 2015: 7th Sustainable Development in the Minerals Industry Conference, 13-15 July 2015, Vancouver, Canada.

McShane, C., and Kanakis, K. (2015) Work and relationship satisfaction in the mining industry. In:

Abstracts from the 7th Sustainable Development in the Minerals Industry Conference. From: SDMI 2015: 7th Sustainable Development in the Minerals Industry Conference, 13-15 July 2015, Vancouver, Canada.

Kanakis, Katerina, and McShane, Connar (2014) Predicting resilience in a rural community prone to

natural disasters. In: Abstracts from the 6th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium. From: 6th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium, 12-14 November 2015, Albury, NSW, Australia.

Kanakis, K., and McShane, C. (2014) Resilience to disaster: predicting resilience in a disaster prone

community. In: European Health Psychologist. From: EHPS 2014: 28th Conference of the European Health Psychology Society, 26-30 August 2014, Innsbruck, Austria.

Kanakis, Katerina, and McShane, Connar (2014) Resilience to disaster: predicting resilience in a disaster

prone community. In: Abstracts from the Australian and New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management Conference. From: Australian and New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management Conference, 5-7 May 2014, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.

McShane, Connar, Swinbourne, Anne, and Quirk, Frances (2014) Risk factors for psychological distress

within the farming family population. In: Brumby, Susan,Kennedy, Alison, and Todd, Bianca, (eds.) Sowing the Seeds of Farmer Health. VURRN Press, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, pp. 57-82.

Turnour, Jim, McShane, Connar, Thompson, Michelle, Dale, Allan, Prideaux, Bruce, and Atkinson,

Margaret (2013) Accounting for agriculture in place-based frameworks for regional development: discussion paper. Report. Cairns Institute, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia.

McShane, Connar, Quirk, Frances, and Swinbourne, Anne (2013) The role of farming families in future

economic and community sustainability. International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, 8 (3). pp. 111-133.

McShane, C., Quirk, F., and Swinbourne, A. (2012) Building resilience in Australian farming

communities: the relationship of farm and family to well-being. Psychology & Health, 27 (Supp 1). p. 276.

McShane, Connar, Quirk, Frances, and Swinbourne, Anne (2012) The farming family work environment:

consideration of a hypothesised model of role interference.International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 19 (Supp 1). p. 262.

McShane, Connar, Quirk, Frances, and Swinbourne, Anne (2011) Coping and burnout in the australian

bush: the importance of community and commitment. In: Abstracts from the32nd International Conference of the Stress and Anxiety Research Society, pp. 162-163. From: STAR 2011: 32nd International Conference of the Stress and Anxiety Research Society, 18-20 July 2011, Münster, Germany.

McShane, Connar, and Quirk, Frances (2010) Creating and strengthening knowledge in agricultural

medicine and rural health farming struggles and triumphs: the effects of a unique business environment. In: Proceedings of the International Congress of Agricultural Medicine and Rural Health (5), p. 126. From: 17th International Congress of Agricultural Medicine and Rural Health, 13-16 October 2009, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

McShane, Connar, Quirk, Frances, and Swinbourne, Anne (2010) Farming struggles and triumphs:

recommendations from Australian farming families. In: Presentations from the National Centre for Farmer Health Inaugural Conference. From: National Centre for Farmer Health Inaugural Conference, 11-13 October 2010, Hamilton, VIC, Australia.

McShane, Connar, and Quirk, Frances (2010) Farming struggles and triumphs: the effects of a unique

working environment. Journal of Rural Medicine, 5 (1). pp. 60-61.

McShane, Connar, Quirk, Frances, and Swinbourne, Anne (2010) Investigating the impact of the unique

business environment of farming on farming families' well-being.In: 31st World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research: book of abstracts, p. 118. From: STAR 2010: 31st World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, 4-6 August 2010, Galway, Ireland.

McShane, Connar, Quirk, Frances, and Swinbourne, Anne (2009) Farming struggles and triumphs: the

effects of a unique business structure. In: Proceedings of the 10th National Rural Health Conference. From: 10th National Rural Health Conference, 17-20 May 2009, Cairns, QLD, Australia.

McShane, C., Quirk, F., and Swinbourne, A. (2009) Getting heard: the development of culturally-relevant

measures for Australian farming families. In: Combined Abstracts of 2009 Australian Psychology Conferences, p. 128. From: 44th Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, 30 September - 4 October 2009 , Darwin, NT, Australia.

McShane, Connar Jo, and Quirk, Frances (2009) Mediating and moderating effects of work–home

interference upon farm stresses and psychological distress. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 17 (5). pp. 244-250.

McShane, Connar (2011) Farming struggles and triumphs: investigating the impact of a unique working

environment on farming family well-being. PhD thesis, James Cook University.