A biological model of early-onset aggression and antisocial behaviour. Aggression and antisocial behaviour have their origins in childhood. The causes involve a combination of environmental and biological factors. This project develops and tests an innovative model of how neural/hormonal processes predispose children to develop different forms of aggressive and antisocial behaviour.
Controlled trial of a family intervention for children bullied by peers. Bullying by peers begins as early as pre-school and affects a tenth of Australian children almost every day. This has serious ongoing consequences including increased risk of mental health problems, onset of health problems, development of negative school attitudes and behaviour problems and loss of friendships. This study is a controlled trial of a family program to assist children and parents to reduce the incidence and i ....Controlled trial of a family intervention for children bullied by peers. Bullying by peers begins as early as pre-school and affects a tenth of Australian children almost every day. This has serious ongoing consequences including increased risk of mental health problems, onset of health problems, development of negative school attitudes and behaviour problems and loss of friendships. This study is a controlled trial of a family program to assist children and parents to reduce the incidence and impact of bullying. If successful, such a program could provide relief to many children and families struggling with bullying and save untold millions of dollars lost to future mental health demands.Read moreRead less
A longitudinal study into the development of personal vulnerabilities and well-being in adolescence. Character strengths such as empathy and emotion management skills are potentially teachable and help prevent an adolescent from experiencing difficulties in social, emotional, and academic adjustment. This longitudinal study examines the temperament and environmental factors that promote character strengths in adolescents.
Health and resilience in the preschool years: An innovative approach to early intervention. Given the prevalence of psychopathology in childhood, it is essential that we maximise the effectiveness of early intervention (EI). Drawing on theory and research highlighting the marked influence, on cognitive and socio-emotional development, of particular kinds of parent-child discussions about past experiences, this project aims to foster preschooler's achievement of key developmental tasks (emergent ....Health and resilience in the preschool years: An innovative approach to early intervention. Given the prevalence of psychopathology in childhood, it is essential that we maximise the effectiveness of early intervention (EI). Drawing on theory and research highlighting the marked influence, on cognitive and socio-emotional development, of particular kinds of parent-child discussions about past experiences, this project aims to foster preschooler's achievement of key developmental tasks (emergent literacy, emotion knowledge, attachment) by training parents and children in effective conversational styles. The research will (i) develop an innovative, theoretically-driven approach to EI, (ii) test this approach in clinical and nonclinical populations, and (iii) provide a strong test of social interaction theories of development.Read moreRead less
Growing up too quickly? Body objectification in adolescent and pre-adolescent girls (teens and tweens). The premature sexualisation of girls is seen as a major public health issue in Australia by government, welfare agencies and the general public alike. While the sexually objectified presentation of children in the media is well documented and unarguable, the consequences for individual psychological well-being are not. The empirical data base provided by the present project will allow the ide ....Growing up too quickly? Body objectification in adolescent and pre-adolescent girls (teens and tweens). The premature sexualisation of girls is seen as a major public health issue in Australia by government, welfare agencies and the general public alike. While the sexually objectified presentation of children in the media is well documented and unarguable, the consequences for individual psychological well-being are not. The empirical data base provided by the present project will allow the identification of girls who might be particularly vulnerable (or resilient) to the effects of objectification and sexualization, as well as suitable targets for intervention. Thus the research seeks to contribute to the well-being of adolescent and pre-adolescent girls (National Research Priority No. 2).
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Young Carers: Investigation of the Psychosocial Impact of Caregiving on Youth Who Have a Parent with an Illness or Disability. This project addresses a growing national public health concern; the welfare of youth affected by parental illness/disability. There is a projected increase in reliance on unpaid care, and young carers are an important but hidden and neglected carer group. Although young carers have recently emerged on the political agenda, the research in this field is at an early descr ....Young Carers: Investigation of the Psychosocial Impact of Caregiving on Youth Who Have a Parent with an Illness or Disability. This project addresses a growing national public health concern; the welfare of youth affected by parental illness/disability. There is a projected increase in reliance on unpaid care, and young carers are an important but hidden and neglected carer group. Although young carers have recently emerged on the political agenda, the research in this field is at an early descriptive stage resulting in a lack of empirical data to inform policy and service development. There is a critical need for data that elucidates young caregiving in Australia. This project will establish new methodologies and frameworks and provide data that will inform policy and services that promote the healthy development of youth affected by parental illness/disability.Read moreRead less
Strengthening community partnerships to promote adolescent school engagement and prevent problems such as alcohol misuse and violence. The project will reduce community rates of adolescent school non-attendance, adolescent alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour. Adolescent school exclusion, alcohol use and antisocial behaviour are highly prevalent in Australia, and can be reduced using a variety of strategies that are coordinated at the school and community level. The project will decrease adol ....Strengthening community partnerships to promote adolescent school engagement and prevent problems such as alcohol misuse and violence. The project will reduce community rates of adolescent school non-attendance, adolescent alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour. Adolescent school exclusion, alcohol use and antisocial behaviour are highly prevalent in Australia, and can be reduced using a variety of strategies that are coordinated at the school and community level. The project will decrease adolescent problems through community improvements in child and adolescent protective influences and reductions in risk influences. Furthermore, the project will equip communities with the capacity to learn how to identify and implement strategies to address the major influences that have the potential to reduce adolescent behaviour problems.Read moreRead less
Rejection sensitivity in children and adolescents: Antecedents, consequences, and the promotion of rejection resilience. Increasing our understanding of children's rejection sensitivity and its effects, as well as identifying the central processes involved, will contribute to a healthy start, preventative healthcare, and strengthening social and economic fabric. It will allow for a new intervention to build children's competencies, coping and resilience. This will protect from negative intrapers ....Rejection sensitivity in children and adolescents: Antecedents, consequences, and the promotion of rejection resilience. Increasing our understanding of children's rejection sensitivity and its effects, as well as identifying the central processes involved, will contribute to a healthy start, preventative healthcare, and strengthening social and economic fabric. It will allow for a new intervention to build children's competencies, coping and resilience. This will protect from negative intrapersonal (e.g., depression) and interpersonal outcomes (e.g., loneliness, victimisation). It also will improve the social and learning contexts for students, benefit the environment in which teachers work, and strengthen the fabric of families and communities by contributing to the development of harmonious, cooperative environments.Read moreRead less
Youth off the streets (YOTS): Rehabilitating at-risk youth and young offenders through responsive service learning programs. Young people involved in substance abuse and delinquency are a major economic and social cost to Australia. Although numerous crime prevention strategies have been developed for working with at-risk, homeless, substance abusing and delinquent young people, few have been adequately evaluated and outcomes are poor. Almost none reflect contemporary knowledge in theories of a ....Youth off the streets (YOTS): Rehabilitating at-risk youth and young offenders through responsive service learning programs. Young people involved in substance abuse and delinquency are a major economic and social cost to Australia. Although numerous crime prevention strategies have been developed for working with at-risk, homeless, substance abusing and delinquent young people, few have been adequately evaluated and outcomes are poor. Almost none reflect contemporary knowledge in theories of adolescent development. This research will develop an innovative intervention based on Service Learning relevant to other diversion programs within Juvenile Justice and an industry model for long-term sustainable program evaluation. We will also develop an intervention model relevant to other organisations with similar aims and budgetary constraints.Read moreRead less
Fitting in and making friends: The psycho-social underpinnings of children's adaptation to school. This project has four areas of national benefit: It will provide vital information for researchers, educators and clinicians about the psycho-social processes underpinning children's social integration within the classroom; Key factors that assist in school transition will be identified, thus presenting the opportunity for early identification of children at risk of social exclusion; This work will ....Fitting in and making friends: The psycho-social underpinnings of children's adaptation to school. This project has four areas of national benefit: It will provide vital information for researchers, educators and clinicians about the psycho-social processes underpinning children's social integration within the classroom; Key factors that assist in school transition will be identified, thus presenting the opportunity for early identification of children at risk of social exclusion; This work will facilitate the extension of existing models of School Readiness and child-school transition, and contribute to Australia's international profile for conducting influential and cutting-edge research. Given the involvement of research students, this research will promote future research directions of upcoming Australian researchers.Read moreRead less