Taking control: variations in forced psychiatric treatment in the community. This interdisciplinary project aims to produce a comprehensive understanding of the drivers underpinning variations in the use of legal orders to enforce psychiatric treatment in the community without consent. Australia’s rate of use of these controversial orders is very high and there are unexplained variations in rates of use within and between jurisdictions, with some minority groups disproportionately affected. Unco ....Taking control: variations in forced psychiatric treatment in the community. This interdisciplinary project aims to produce a comprehensive understanding of the drivers underpinning variations in the use of legal orders to enforce psychiatric treatment in the community without consent. Australia’s rate of use of these controversial orders is very high and there are unexplained variations in rates of use within and between jurisdictions, with some minority groups disproportionately affected. Uncovering this knowledge will act as a form of procedural justice for those who have had their human rights limited by compulsion. This knowledge is expected to lead to innovations in law and policy, with subsequent organisational and system improvements, generating profound benefits for those affected by forced treatment. Read moreRead less
Improving young people's online safety when talking about suicide. This project aims to improve the safety and quality of online communication about suicide by young people. Suicide is the leading cause of death among young Australians and rates continue to rise. One commonly cited explanation for this is the way in which young people use social media to communicate about suicide. This project will directly address this by testing the impact of a set of evidence-informed guidelines and campaign ....Improving young people's online safety when talking about suicide. This project aims to improve the safety and quality of online communication about suicide by young people. Suicide is the leading cause of death among young Australians and rates continue to rise. One commonly cited explanation for this is the way in which young people use social media to communicate about suicide. This project will directly address this by testing the impact of a set of evidence-informed guidelines and campaign materials that target young people’s capacity to communicate about suicide safely on social media. Expected outcomes of this project include increased online safety for young people. This study also has national and international significance for the social media industry and the safe governance of their platforms. Read moreRead less
Understanding the drivers and motivators of extremist violence. Despite intense interest in the issue, our understanding of and ability to respond to extremist violence is limited. This innovative program of research is designed to establish an empirical foundation for understanding and responding to extremist violence in Australia. It aims to examine risk and protective factors for such violence, the needs of those susceptible to committing such acts, and the effectiveness of intervention. Find ....Understanding the drivers and motivators of extremist violence. Despite intense interest in the issue, our understanding of and ability to respond to extremist violence is limited. This innovative program of research is designed to establish an empirical foundation for understanding and responding to extremist violence in Australia. It aims to examine risk and protective factors for such violence, the needs of those susceptible to committing such acts, and the effectiveness of intervention. Findings are expected to inform health, national security, social welfare, and justice agencies in their pursuit to identify those at risk of offending, address their clinical needs and manage the risk of harm they pose to society and to themselves.Read moreRead less
Learning to control fear. This project uses extinction of fear in rats to model means to control human fear. Its aims are to determine why patients must be exposed to trauma-related cues to learn to control their fear and when knowledge about the current relation between the cues and the trauma is sufficient for patients to overcome the fear normally elicited by trauma-related cues.
The future of childhood anxiety treatment: translating cognitive-neuroscience insights into clinical practice. The newest adult anxiety treatments use computer-based tasks that provide practice in overcoming maladaptive thinking patterns. This project is among the first to test this approach with children by developing a simple intervention that can be done at home. This new treatment will significantly reduce the burden of disease in Australia.
Music as bridge between strengths and difficulties: preventing mental ill-health through early identification and early intervention in adolescence. The World Health Organisation and the Australian Government both predict an alarming rise in chronic mental health problems. In this study, an innovative, musically derived strengths and difficulties assessment tool will be developed and validated to facilitate the early identification of, and early intervention with at risk young people.
Workplace death: assessing and improving institutional responses to the needs of surviving families. The impact of workplace death and institutional responses on surviving families is seldom examined. Pilot research revealed enduring consequences not addressed by institutional responses. The project will use novel methods to advance scientific knowledge of how workplace death affects families and provide guidance to improved policy interventions.
Mindfulness and coping in chronic illness: insights from a study of joint replacement surgery. This study investigates whether participation in a mental health enhancement program (mindfulness) will improve the recovery of patients undergoing total joint replacement. This will benefit patients by promoting psychological well-being which has direct effects on pain and physical function after surgery.
A longitudinal study exploring women's experiences following a prenatal diagnosis of fetal abnormality. In Australia four per cent of babies are born with a congenital abnormality, many of which are detected during pregnancy. Little is known about women's experiences of a diagnosis. The aim of this study is to explore women's experiences following the diagnosis of a fetal abnormality during pregnancy, in order to develop appropriate models of supportive care.