A longitudinal study into the development of personal vulnerabilities and well-being in adolescence. This longitudinal study examines the temperament and environmental factors that promote character strengths in adolescents. 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.
Protect from harm or lead into danger? The influence of peers in leisure activities on adolescent behaviour. When are peers a bad influence? This project will offer answers about the leisure settings that expose young people to risk and those that protect them from harm during the high school years. This research will also help identify those youth who may be especially vulnerable to negative effects of peer influence.
Pathways to work engagement, wellbeing and positive teaching among mid-career teachers: The role of personal and workplace resources. Teaching is a highly demanding, yet rewarding career for many. It is also a decidedly stressful occupation associated with high burnout. By following a large sample of teachers recruited ten years earlier into their mid-career, this project investigates the coping and motivational resources that keep them engaged, allowing them to thrive personally and professiona ....Pathways to work engagement, wellbeing and positive teaching among mid-career teachers: The role of personal and workplace resources. Teaching is a highly demanding, yet rewarding career for many. It is also a decidedly stressful occupation associated with high burnout. By following a large sample of teachers recruited ten years earlier into their mid-career, this project investigates the coping and motivational resources that keep them engaged, allowing them to thrive personally and professionally in different kinds of school environments, versus pathways that predict to burnout, ill-being and negative teaching behaviours. Selected subgroups who were most at risk and most positively engaged earlier in their career will be the focus of longitudinal case studies to uncover more nuanced processes promoting positive and negative pathways.Read moreRead less
Social acceptability of forest management options: Landscape level visualisation and evaluation. Sustainable forest policy requires social acceptance. Prior research has investigated relative acceptability of options at a forest stand level. However, we have insufficient understanding of public acceptance of forest management systems implemented across the wider landscape. Only detailed knowledge of public reaction to social, environmental and economic impacts and the trade-offs involved can red ....Social acceptability of forest management options: Landscape level visualisation and evaluation. Sustainable forest policy requires social acceptance. Prior research has investigated relative acceptability of options at a forest stand level. However, we have insufficient understanding of public acceptance of forest management systems implemented across the wider landscape. Only detailed knowledge of public reaction to social, environmental and economic impacts and the trade-offs involved can reduce the divisive nature of the forest management debate. This project will use interactive, still and animated computer representations of landscapes to examine social acceptability of alternatives to clearfell harvesting. This knowledge will be integrated with biophysical data to improve management of forested landscapes.Read moreRead less
Enhancing lifeguard performance: A multidisciplinary approach. This project aims to improve the timely identification of swimmers at risk of drowning by drawing on a range of theoretical, empirical, and methodological approaches from the disciplines of organisational psychology, human factors, cognitive science and computer science. Lifeguards are vital for maintaining public safety at aquatic venues, however despite their presence, fatal and non-fatal drownings occur every year with little know ....Enhancing lifeguard performance: A multidisciplinary approach. This project aims to improve the timely identification of swimmers at risk of drowning by drawing on a range of theoretical, empirical, and methodological approaches from the disciplines of organisational psychology, human factors, cognitive science and computer science. Lifeguards are vital for maintaining public safety at aquatic venues, however despite their presence, fatal and non-fatal drownings occur every year with little known about the factors that affect vigilance, scanning and sustained attention in such a complex, dynamic environment. Expected outcomes of the project include evidence-based solutions for selecting, training and maintaining the performance of lifeguards that account for both organisational and individual factors. These will improve Australia’s ability to build social capital in both urban and rural centres by providing the safest possible community swimming pools.Read moreRead less
Acceptability of Forest Harvesting Systems. Fierce public debate over forest management has prompted forest agencies to develop and test alternative harvesting systems. This project will examine community response to these harvesting and regeneration options. It will avoid the biases of existing research by developing an interactive simulation of the forest environment that will allow participants to view visual, ecological and economic outcomes of harvest options, as well as changes over time ....Acceptability of Forest Harvesting Systems. Fierce public debate over forest management has prompted forest agencies to develop and test alternative harvesting systems. This project will examine community response to these harvesting and regeneration options. It will avoid the biases of existing research by developing an interactive simulation of the forest environment that will allow participants to view visual, ecological and economic outcomes of harvest options, as well as changes over time as forest regenerates. Public judgements of the acceptability of harvesting options will be integrated with the outcomes of related biophysical studies to identify socially and ecologically sustainable management options for Australian native forests.Read moreRead less
Prospective predictors of body image attitudes and dieting beliefs during first years of school: Providing guidance for prevention. Although it is recognised that body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for the development of a wide range of mental health problems, little is known about its early development. There is a distinct increase in body dissatisfaction and dieting awareness during early school years. However, there has not been an exploration of a wide range of family, media, peer and sch ....Prospective predictors of body image attitudes and dieting beliefs during first years of school: Providing guidance for prevention. Although it is recognised that body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for the development of a wide range of mental health problems, little is known about its early development. There is a distinct increase in body dissatisfaction and dieting awareness during early school years. However, there has not been an exploration of a wide range of family, media, peer and school adaptation variables as predictors of body image and weight change behaviours in both girls and boys. This project will examine prospective predictors of body image and related variables in five to seven years old children. Findings will inform development of prevention interventions to assist parents and schools provide a positive body image and eating environment for Australian children.Read moreRead less
Addressing risk factors of overweight and obesity among adolescents in out-of-home care: The Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) study. The health risk of overweight and obesity when adolescents are placed in out-of-home care has been largely ignored. This project will be the first to evaluate a healthy eating and physical activity obesity prevention/intervention program designed specifically for vulnerable and disadvantaged adolescents living in out-of-home residential care.
Enhancing psychosocial adaptation after temporal lobectomy surgery for control of epilepsy seizures. Preliminary data from individuals who have experienced temporal lobectomy surgery for control of epilepsy seizures suggests that (a) psychosocial adjustment problems may occur even when the neurological outcome is excellent, and (b) satisfaction with surgery/ post-surgery adjustment relates to perceived control over pre-surgery decision- making. The aim of this study is to improve pre-surgery pro ....Enhancing psychosocial adaptation after temporal lobectomy surgery for control of epilepsy seizures. Preliminary data from individuals who have experienced temporal lobectomy surgery for control of epilepsy seizures suggests that (a) psychosocial adjustment problems may occur even when the neurological outcome is excellent, and (b) satisfaction with surgery/ post-surgery adjustment relates to perceived control over pre-surgery decision- making. The aim of this study is to improve pre-surgery procedure and post-surgery support by investigating psychosocial outcomes of epilepsy surgery, and relating these to perceived and actual pre-surgery preparation, including education, counselling and social support. The results of the study will inform development of resource material for the medical profession and potential surgery clients, as well as contributing to improved understanding of the relationship between pre-surgery procedures and psychosocial outcomes.Read moreRead less
Promoting fit bodies, healthy eating and physical activity among Indigenous Australian men. Overall, the physical and emotional health of our Indigenous people is the worst in Australia. A major contributing factor is the significant lifestyle changes that have eroded traditional ways of life. These include the adoption of diets that are high in fat, sugar and salt, and a decline of physical activity. As these determinants of poor health are preventable, we will work with Indigenous men and thei ....Promoting fit bodies, healthy eating and physical activity among Indigenous Australian men. Overall, the physical and emotional health of our Indigenous people is the worst in Australia. A major contributing factor is the significant lifestyle changes that have eroded traditional ways of life. These include the adoption of diets that are high in fat, sugar and salt, and a decline of physical activity. As these determinants of poor health are preventable, we will work with Indigenous men and their communities to target cultural factors and develop health promotion strategies that can be used to improve their health.Read moreRead less