Development of a comprehensive model and programmed intervention for emotion processing deficits in childhood-onset mental health problems. This research is in the National Research Priority, promoting and maintaining good health. Mental health problems cost Australia millions of dollars every year as well as creating immeasurable social adversity for individuals and families. The proposed research represents a significant step towards reducing these costs and improving the effectiveness of earl ....Development of a comprehensive model and programmed intervention for emotion processing deficits in childhood-onset mental health problems. This research is in the National Research Priority, promoting and maintaining good health. Mental health problems cost Australia millions of dollars every year as well as creating immeasurable social adversity for individuals and families. The proposed research represents a significant step towards reducing these costs and improving the effectiveness of early intervention and prevention. The research will lead to improvements in methods for early detection of child psychopathology with potential for implementation in both community health and educational services nation-wide. The research partnership will build Australia's capacity for innovative research in the development, early intervention and treatment of mental health problems.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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101588
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,459.00
Summary
Do physical activity and electronic screen behaviours influence cognitive and psychosocial development in preschool children? Levels of physical inactivity and screen-based entertainment are alarmingly high among preschool children, yet little is known about the independent effects of these behaviours on cognitive and psychosocial development during early childhood. This project will investigate the associations between physical activity and screen-based entertainment and cognitive and psychosoc ....Do physical activity and electronic screen behaviours influence cognitive and psychosocial development in preschool children? Levels of physical inactivity and screen-based entertainment are alarmingly high among preschool children, yet little is known about the independent effects of these behaviours on cognitive and psychosocial development during early childhood. This project will investigate the associations between physical activity and screen-based entertainment and cognitive and psychosocial development in preschool children. The findings will identify how much and which types of these behaviours influence developmental outcomes in young children. This knowledge will benefit parents, educators, health professionals and governments to develop and implement evidence-based strategies and policies to give young children the best start in life.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.
Uncertainty and response control in the prefrontal cortex. This project will identify how complex behaviours come to be performed habitually. It is proposed that statistical certainty in the learning environment is a key determinant of automatic behaviour, that detection of uncertainty can restore voluntary control of behaviour and that this is an important function of the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101921
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,000.00
Summary
Effects of reducing sitting on toddlers’ executive functions: Cluster RCT. The levels of sedentary behaviour are now alarmingly high in toddlers, yet little is known about the effect of this behaviour on cognitive development and executive functions during early childhood. This 15 month cluster randomised controlled trial will examine the effects of reduced sitting time on cognitive development and executive functions in Australian toddlers from low socio-economic families. This project aims to ....Effects of reducing sitting on toddlers’ executive functions: Cluster RCT. The levels of sedentary behaviour are now alarmingly high in toddlers, yet little is known about the effect of this behaviour on cognitive development and executive functions during early childhood. This 15 month cluster randomised controlled trial will examine the effects of reduced sitting time on cognitive development and executive functions in Australian toddlers from low socio-economic families. This project aims to develop and implement evidence-based strategies and policies designed to optimise developmental and health outcomes in young children, specifically in those from a low socio-economic status, thus giving young children the best start in life.Read moreRead less
The NSW child development study. Research shows that a child's development predicts health and social outcomes later in life. This Australian project will be the first to identify risk and protective factors associated with these outcomes in 87,000 children from birth to 10 years. The results will help inform governments to improve our children's health and educational achievements.
Into the thirties: Persistence and social consequences of risky drinking. The aim of this project is to investigate the social contexts, roles and consequences of problematic alcohol use in adults aged 30, using long term longitudinal resources able to observe the development and corollary of alcohol use over time. It is posited that such drinkers entering their third decade of life persist in levels of problematic alcohol use typically associated with younger ages and that this leads to social ....Into the thirties: Persistence and social consequences of risky drinking. The aim of this project is to investigate the social contexts, roles and consequences of problematic alcohol use in adults aged 30, using long term longitudinal resources able to observe the development and corollary of alcohol use over time. It is posited that such drinkers entering their third decade of life persist in levels of problematic alcohol use typically associated with younger ages and that this leads to social consequences, such as gender specific risks, relationship conflicts and more severe long term effects. Outcomes from this project are expected to inform the generation of relevant prevention and intervention strategies aimed to address problem drinking in adult Australians.Read moreRead less
How we remember and misremember traumatic experiences. The project addresses a significant and important problem: the role of memory distortion in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a global disorder with significant personal, societal and economic costs. The aim of this project is to empirically investigate the extent, causes and triggering conditions of errors in memory for traumatic experiences; particularly exaggeration of these memories, which has been linked to poor psychological adjus ....How we remember and misremember traumatic experiences. The project addresses a significant and important problem: the role of memory distortion in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a global disorder with significant personal, societal and economic costs. The aim of this project is to empirically investigate the extent, causes and triggering conditions of errors in memory for traumatic experiences; particularly exaggeration of these memories, which has been linked to poor psychological adjustment. Understanding how people exposed to trauma remember, and misremember, aspects of their experiences in ways that influence their recovery is both theoretically and practically important. Indeed, it will help us refine theory and identify possible points of intervention for PTSD sufferers.Read moreRead less
What is normal brain ageing? An investigation of changes in brain structure and cognition in mid-life. Pathological brain changes associated with cognitive decline later in life become detectable in the 40s and sometimes earlier, yet little is known about what constitute normal brain ageing in midlife. Using a number of neuroimaging techniques, this project will develop a detailed map of brain and cognitive ageing in middle-age and their predictors.