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Article History

Received: 1 August 2025

Accepted: 9 December 2025

First Online: 9 January 2026

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study (Project Number 25557) was approved by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) College Human Ethics Advisory Network (CHEAN) on 6 April 2023 after meeting the Australian National Statement on Ethical Conduct of Human Research (NHMRC, 2007) and remains valid until the 6th April 2026. All research procedures were conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines of RMIT University and the NHMRC 2007. Data confidentiality was maintained via password-protected files. Personal identifying content was removed to ensure participant anonymity and was available for audit or monitoring by the CHEAN at any time.

: Research participants were informed about the study’s purpose and procedures, and both verbal and written consent were obtained before participation, depending on the participant’s preferences and circumstances. Consent collection spanned from 6th April 2023 to October 27th 2024, covering the period before each respective interview. Participants were assured of their right to withdraw at any point without consequence and agreed to the anonymous use of their data in future publications. The research team was trained to provide appropriate support and referrals in case any participant experienced emotional distress during the study.