Improving mental health nurses’ retention and quality of nursing practice. This project aims to improve mental health nurses’ resilience, retention and quality of practice through implementation of a resilience-building program. There is a critical national shortage of nurses in mental health, and attrition of the mental health nursing workforce is due in large part to workplace stressors. As a world-first in the field, the study will compare outcomes for mental health nurses who participate in ....Improving mental health nurses’ retention and quality of nursing practice. This project aims to improve mental health nurses’ resilience, retention and quality of practice through implementation of a resilience-building program. There is a critical national shortage of nurses in mental health, and attrition of the mental health nursing workforce is due in large part to workplace stressors. As a world-first in the field, the study will compare outcomes for mental health nurses who participate in the resilience program with a group of nurses who do not. Extending on a successful pilot, we expect the outcomes to be improved nurse resilience, turnover intention, and quality of nursing practice, and reduced negative psychological impacts of workplace stress. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101107
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$412,744.00
Summary
Ahead of the Game: Balancing the Gaming Industry and Public Interest. This project battles the risks and embraces the benefits of digital gaming. There is a risk that one loses control of their gaming and prioritises it over other duties. This is offset by the benefits of using digital games for health. It is the first to decode and use the health data embedded in the connection between the gamer and their game persona (avatar). It does this by concurrently assessing important gamer, family, cul ....Ahead of the Game: Balancing the Gaming Industry and Public Interest. This project battles the risks and embraces the benefits of digital gaming. There is a risk that one loses control of their gaming and prioritises it over other duties. This is offset by the benefits of using digital games for health. It is the first to decode and use the health data embedded in the connection between the gamer and their game persona (avatar). It does this by concurrently assessing important gamer, family, cultural and game structure features. Findings will prompt the ethical growth of the Australian Health games industry and inform strategies to combat gaming disorder by tailoring games to users' needs. This will uniquely benefit Australians by re-directing this growing industry to better serve the public interest.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
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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101382
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$325,000.00
Summary
Optimising digital mental health care: how technology is used in practice. This project aims to develop the first national consensus statement on the use of technology in mental health care in Australia. The project will examine how Australian health practitioners currently use digital therapy programs, and synthesise this data with international evidence and input from Australian government, health service, and digital health experts. This project expects to improve the implementation of digita ....Optimising digital mental health care: how technology is used in practice. This project aims to develop the first national consensus statement on the use of technology in mental health care in Australia. The project will examine how Australian health practitioners currently use digital therapy programs, and synthesise this data with international evidence and input from Australian government, health service, and digital health experts. This project expects to improve the implementation of digital therapy tools using an innovative, theory-driven approach. Expected outcomes of this project include increased and optimal implementation of digital therapy tools among mental health care providers and enhanced capacity within the Australian health system to meet the high demand for services in the community.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100043
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,970.00
Summary
Autobiographical memory as a key to successful psychological functioning. This project aims to develop a theoretical framework that will explain how the retrieval of autobiographical memories may be essential for good mental health. Using cutting-edge statistical techniques, an international team of researchers will track young adults over a number of years to explore whether autobiographical memory retrieval underlies development of both adaptive and dysfunctional aspects of psychological funct ....Autobiographical memory as a key to successful psychological functioning. This project aims to develop a theoretical framework that will explain how the retrieval of autobiographical memories may be essential for good mental health. Using cutting-edge statistical techniques, an international team of researchers will track young adults over a number of years to explore whether autobiographical memory retrieval underlies development of both adaptive and dysfunctional aspects of psychological functioning. Expected project outcomes will indicate whether future researchers could enhance autobiographical memory to promote healthy development and potentially prevent mental illness from ever emerging. This will allow future researchers to use cognitive science to benefit the mental health of Australians.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100260
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,378.00
Summary
Refugee moral injury: Linking interpersonal trauma and social functioning. This project aims to understand how moral beliefs about past interpersonal traumatic experiences (e.g., torture, rape) are associated with social outcomes considered to be crucial in successful refugee resettlement. This project will investigate the causal impact of these moral beliefs on social adaptation and whether these beliefs are malleable. The project will be a better understanding of how moral beliefs can impact r ....Refugee moral injury: Linking interpersonal trauma and social functioning. This project aims to understand how moral beliefs about past interpersonal traumatic experiences (e.g., torture, rape) are associated with social outcomes considered to be crucial in successful refugee resettlement. This project will investigate the causal impact of these moral beliefs on social adaptation and whether these beliefs are malleable. The project will be a better understanding of how moral beliefs can impact refugees' abilities to navigate and engage with novel social environments. The outcomes of this project will assist service providers and policy makers to understand why some refugees are able to adapt more successfully than others and provide practical tools for improving social outcomes. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100391
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,228.00
Summary
Reducing Gendered Harm in Involuntary Mental Health Service Provision. Involuntary mental health treatment is often traumatising, with women reporting additional gendered dimensions of harm. Using an action research framework that draws upon the voices of service users, families and professionals, this study aims to develop improved strategies for responding to acute mental distress in women, with a focus on reducing coercion. Expected outcomes include enhanced understandings of the experiences ....Reducing Gendered Harm in Involuntary Mental Health Service Provision. Involuntary mental health treatment is often traumatising, with women reporting additional gendered dimensions of harm. Using an action research framework that draws upon the voices of service users, families and professionals, this study aims to develop improved strategies for responding to acute mental distress in women, with a focus on reducing coercion. Expected outcomes include enhanced understandings of the experiences and impacts of compulsory mental health treatment on women and a co-designed online resource that will support the development of effective, realistic and non-coercive practices in frontline mental healthcare. The project will provide substantial benefits to mental health reform at a national and international level.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100829
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$353,000.00
Summary
The effects of parental education on child health outcomes. This project aims to understand how public education policies can improve health. Common economic analysis of returns to education fails to capture the critical secondary beneficial effects of parental education on future generations’ health. These positive effects are systematically undercounted in the cost-benefit analysis of Australia’s investment in education. This project will use Australian datasets and natural experiments to iden ....The effects of parental education on child health outcomes. This project aims to understand how public education policies can improve health. Common economic analysis of returns to education fails to capture the critical secondary beneficial effects of parental education on future generations’ health. These positive effects are systematically undercounted in the cost-benefit analysis of Australia’s investment in education. This project will use Australian datasets and natural experiments to identify how parental education affects the health outcomes of the second generation. This project expects to provide policy recommendations to maximise health, wellbeing and economic outcomes for Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100386
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,875.00
Summary
Anti-racist neuroethics for epistemic justice in mental health research. Racial/ethnic minorities are underrepresented in brain and mental health (BMH) research, risking inadequate healthcare for the 9.5 million minorities in Australia. With the $73 billion annual cost of BMH disorders to the country, all Australians should equally benefit from BMH research. This project aims to develop recommendations to make BMH research more diverse and inclusive. It will audit representation of minorities in ....Anti-racist neuroethics for epistemic justice in mental health research. Racial/ethnic minorities are underrepresented in brain and mental health (BMH) research, risking inadequate healthcare for the 9.5 million minorities in Australia. With the $73 billion annual cost of BMH disorders to the country, all Australians should equally benefit from BMH research. This project aims to develop recommendations to make BMH research more diverse and inclusive. It will audit representation of minorities in Australian BMH publications and will conduct surveys, interviews, and workshops with scientists to determine institutional barriers to the inclusion of and engagement with minorities in research. This project will draw from concepts of epistemic justice and anti-racism to develop ethical frameworks for BMH racial equity.Read moreRead less