Behaviour and emotional problems in young children with developmental delay. This research will provide health professionals, researchers and service providers with a reliable and valid measure to assess behaviour in young children with developmental delay. This will be the first instrument of its kind worldwide. The study will provide the largest and most comprehensive survey of behaviour and emotional problems in young children with developmental delay internationally to date. It will provide ....Behaviour and emotional problems in young children with developmental delay. This research will provide health professionals, researchers and service providers with a reliable and valid measure to assess behaviour in young children with developmental delay. This will be the first instrument of its kind worldwide. The study will provide the largest and most comprehensive survey of behaviour and emotional problems in young children with developmental delay internationally to date. It will provide information on the types of treatment that are needed for these children and what support is needed for their families. The outcomes of this study have the potential to promote the best possible start in life and long term mental health of this group of at risk and disadvantaged young Australians.Read moreRead less
Brain development during adolescence and the emergence of depression: A longitudinal MRI study. Traditionally mental health services have focused on established disorders. Whilst significant gains in outcomes have been obtained in other areas of health by focusing on early intervention and prevention, in the mental health field this approach has been limited by the inability to predict who is likely to go on to develop serious mental disorder. This study will provide critical information for und ....Brain development during adolescence and the emergence of depression: A longitudinal MRI study. Traditionally mental health services have focused on established disorders. Whilst significant gains in outcomes have been obtained in other areas of health by focusing on early intervention and prevention, in the mental health field this approach has been limited by the inability to predict who is likely to go on to develop serious mental disorder. This study will provide critical information for understanding the risk processes that are operating during the critical phase of early adolescence, and will therefore make a fundamental contribution to our understanding of who, and what, to target in early intervention and prevention strategies.Read moreRead less
Resilience and coping: Predicting positive well-being following life transitions and major life events among young Australian women. The project addresses a major issue for the well-being of Australians. It examines positive well-being and resilience, which provides an important complement to other work on diagnosed mental illness. Mental health problems are a major problem in Australia, contributing to unemployment, family problems, and risky life choices. By identifying people who maintain goo ....Resilience and coping: Predicting positive well-being following life transitions and major life events among young Australian women. The project addresses a major issue for the well-being of Australians. It examines positive well-being and resilience, which provides an important complement to other work on diagnosed mental illness. Mental health problems are a major problem in Australia, contributing to unemployment, family problems, and risky life choices. By identifying people who maintain good psychological health despite life stress, it can help in prevention and early intervention. It focuses on the important years of early adulthood, when people are dealing with new relationships, employment, and family formation. Its focus on women reflects the fact that women and men experience different life courses, often diverging markedly when the first child arrives.Read moreRead less
Trauma memory and narrative structure in post-traumatic distress. The project enhances understanding of factors that maintain enduring distress and disability following traumatic experiences which have major social and financial costs to individuals, communities and to the nation. Better knowledge of these factors is central to improving early detection and refining prevention and early intervention for individuals and to help understand how communities can better manage their response to sever ....Trauma memory and narrative structure in post-traumatic distress. The project enhances understanding of factors that maintain enduring distress and disability following traumatic experiences which have major social and financial costs to individuals, communities and to the nation. Better knowledge of these factors is central to improving early detection and refining prevention and early intervention for individuals and to help understand how communities can better manage their response to severe traumatic events. The results may lead to significant refinements to efficacious psychological treatments involving exposure to emotional memories. The project's innovative approach to studying autobiographical memories will enhance Australia's internationally competitiveness in a key area within psychology.Read moreRead less
Augmentation of fear extinction in anxious children through the use of D-Cycloserine. Anxiety disorders affect around a tenth of the population, including children, and produce tremendous personal and social costs. Improving our treatments for anxious children can help to prevent a lifetime of limitations and difficulties. This study will examine whether giving children a small dose of a simple antibiotic can increase the extent to which they lose their fears of specific cues when exposed to tho ....Augmentation of fear extinction in anxious children through the use of D-Cycloserine. Anxiety disorders affect around a tenth of the population, including children, and produce tremendous personal and social costs. Improving our treatments for anxious children can help to prevent a lifetime of limitations and difficulties. This study will examine whether giving children a small dose of a simple antibiotic can increase the extent to which they lose their fears of specific cues when exposed to those cues. These results have the potential to revolutionise our understanding and treatment of child anxiety.Read moreRead less
Recognising, assessing, and managing high risk stalking behaviour: An evidence-based approach. Developing effective methods of assessing and treating stalkers will directly impact the health and safety of thousands of stalking victims across Australia, and reduce the number of stalkers coming into contact with the criminal justice system. Application of the assessment and treatment tools developed during this project by mental health and corrective services around Australia will help to reduce p ....Recognising, assessing, and managing high risk stalking behaviour: An evidence-based approach. Developing effective methods of assessing and treating stalkers will directly impact the health and safety of thousands of stalking victims across Australia, and reduce the number of stalkers coming into contact with the criminal justice system. Application of the assessment and treatment tools developed during this project by mental health and corrective services around Australia will help to reduce physical and psychological harm experienced by both stalkers and their victims. The development and implementation of practical and effective strategies that lessen the impact of stalking will reduce the burden of mental ill-health caused by stalking, increase community safety, and reduce overall levels of victimisation in Australian society. Read moreRead less
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
Emotion development and adolescent depression: An analysis of gender differences. This project will investigate the differing role of empathy and guilt in the development of depression over time. Consistent with Izard's emotion perspective, it is predicted that these emotions will become more strongly correlated with depression in the post-adolescence compared to the pre-adolescent years. This strengthening of association will be most marked for specific sub-groups (e.g. females compared to mal ....Emotion development and adolescent depression: An analysis of gender differences. This project will investigate the differing role of empathy and guilt in the development of depression over time. Consistent with Izard's emotion perspective, it is predicted that these emotions will become more strongly correlated with depression in the post-adolescence compared to the pre-adolescent years. This strengthening of association will be most marked for specific sub-groups (e.g. females compared to males; individuals scoring high on empathy and low on emotion regulation). The expected outcomes will lead to a more sophisticated understanding of the development of depression. They will have significant implications for the development/refinement of preventative/intervention strategies for depression during pre-adolescence.Read moreRead less
An Integrative Theory of Flashback Memories. Flashback memories are a core phenomenon in a range of psychological disorders. People who have suffered trauma, for example, experience a sense of reliving the past. This project will conduct the first comprehensive analysis of flashbacks by building on existing theories of autobiographical memory and applying convergent methodologies to study flashbacks. The project will assess the content, retrieval mode, and the brain mechanisms underpinning fl ....An Integrative Theory of Flashback Memories. Flashback memories are a core phenomenon in a range of psychological disorders. People who have suffered trauma, for example, experience a sense of reliving the past. This project will conduct the first comprehensive analysis of flashbacks by building on existing theories of autobiographical memory and applying convergent methodologies to study flashbacks. The project will assess the content, retrieval mode, and the brain mechanisms underpinning flashbacks. These data will lead to the first empirically-driven model of flashbacks that encompasses the psychological and neural bases of flashbacks. This model will advance our understanding of cognitive processes underpinning many psychological disorders.Read moreRead less
Whether social media literacy mitigates effects of social media in adolescents. This project aims to determine protective and risk factors for problems associated with social media use in early adolescents. In particular, it aims to determine the protective role of social media literacy (the skill to analyse, critique and evaluate social media posts). Although most Australian adolescents use social media, frequent social media engagement and photo-based activities can cause body dissatisfaction, ....Whether social media literacy mitigates effects of social media in adolescents. This project aims to determine protective and risk factors for problems associated with social media use in early adolescents. In particular, it aims to determine the protective role of social media literacy (the skill to analyse, critique and evaluate social media posts). Although most Australian adolescents use social media, frequent social media engagement and photo-based activities can cause body dissatisfaction, disordered eating and compromised well-being. Findings supporting a protective role for social media literacy are expected to inform policy to improve adolescent well-being and pave the way for school-based social media literacy interventions.Read moreRead less