Testing A Transgenerational Cycles Of Violence Model In Timor-Leste: Impact Of Maternal Anger On Childhood Aggression.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$881,002.00
Summary
We will examine ways in which war trauma can cause mental disorder and behavioural disturbances in the next generation. We will examine the problem of extreme anger amongst mothers caused by war trauma, domestic violence and other stresses. Mothers with anger may have difficulties parenting their children, resulting in behavioural disturbances in the next generation. In the longer term, these children may show aggressive behaviour that leads to ongoing family and social instability.
A Randomised Trial Of An Early Parenting Intervention To Reduce Maternal Mood Disorder And Infant Behavior Disturbance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,503.00
Summary
Over 242,000 women give birth annually in Australia and up to 20% experience significant psychological distress in the baby's first year. Severe fatigue, worrying and depression interfere with the development of maternal confidence. If a baby does not sleep well or feed easily or cries for prolonged periods, mothers can feel ineffective and helpless. Assistance early in the baby's life is important to avoid long-term emotional and behavioral problems for mother and child. Nationally, health and ....Over 242,000 women give birth annually in Australia and up to 20% experience significant psychological distress in the baby's first year. Severe fatigue, worrying and depression interfere with the development of maternal confidence. If a baby does not sleep well or feed easily or cries for prolonged periods, mothers can feel ineffective and helpless. Assistance early in the baby's life is important to avoid long-term emotional and behavioral problems for mother and child. Nationally, health and social policy focuses on assisting families including those with parental mental health and early parenting problems and children at risk of developmental difficulties. Australia's residential early parenting services are unique, offering brief treatment to mothers with difficulties and infants with unsettled behaviour. Parents are educated in infant care and provided with emotional support and assistance to adjust to the demands of parenting. In past studies by CIA and CIB women reported marked improvements in emotional distress, maternal confidence and infant manageability after completing this treatment and six months later. The education and emotional support were rated as acceptable and very effective. This project is a randomized controlled trial that will evaluate whether brief admission to a residential early parenting service has sustainable benefits for mild to moderate maternal mental health problems and for infant behaviour disturbance. Mothers with a diagnosable mental health condition and with four-month-old infants reported to have unsettled infant behaviour will be randomly assigned to a residential treatment program at an early parenting service or to routine care. Mothers and infants will be assessed with standardized psychological measures one month after treatment and when the baby is one year old. An effective and acceptable intervention will provide an important alternative to available treatments for postnatal psychological disturbance.Read moreRead less
Healthy, Wealthy And Wise: The Long-term Effectiveness Of An Online Universal Program To Prevent Substance Use And Mental Health Problems Among Australian Youth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,472,709.00
Summary
The proposed study represents a unique opportunity to build on the NHMRC funded Climate Schools Combined (CSC) study, a world-first trial of a combined, internet-delivered school-based approach to preventing substance use, anxiety and depression. Having successfully implemented this trial and followed these students for 3 years, we propose to extend follow-up of this large trial cohort over the critical transition from secondary school into early adulthood.
The Beyondblue Schools Research Initiative: A Two-year Follow-up.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$827,285.00
Summary
The prevalence of Depressive Disorders among children and adolescents was estimated in the Australian National Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey to be 3.7%. This means that at any single point of time, approximately 138,000 Australian children and adolescents are experiencing a Depressive Disorder. Furthermore, the National Survey found that less than half (46%) of those with a Depressive Disorder received any help over a 6 month period prior to the survey, with only 8% attending a menta ....The prevalence of Depressive Disorders among children and adolescents was estimated in the Australian National Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey to be 3.7%. This means that at any single point of time, approximately 138,000 Australian children and adolescents are experiencing a Depressive Disorder. Furthermore, the National Survey found that less than half (46%) of those with a Depressive Disorder received any help over a 6 month period prior to the survey, with only 8% attending a mental health clinic, and only 4% attending a hospital-based Department of Psychiatry. These findings emphasise the importance of finding alternative approaches to help the large number of young people with depression who do not receive help from professional services. This application seeks funding to evaluate the beyondblue Schools Research Initiative. The key features of the initiative are the development of a strong partnership between the health and education sectors and a focus on both individual-level and school-level risk factors. This has enabled us to provide a much longer duration of intervention than previous studies, to test the intervention in several different Australian States, and to utilise a broadly based intervention that includes a range of approaches, each of which have the potential to help reduce adolescent depression. The significance of the project lies in its potential to identify effective interventions which can reduce rates of depression experienced by adolescents, and the quality of the ongoing research partnership we have established across the education and health sectors. We anticipate that this partnership will be utilised for ongoing research in this area.Read moreRead less
Developing Evidence For The Primary Prevention Of Depressive Disorders: The Role Of Diet And Physical Activity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$672,136.00
Summary
This study will examine the association between diet, physical activity and depression and bipolar disorders. It will examine whether an individual's regular diet and-or levels of physical activity are related to the development and-or course of these psychiatric illnesses. There is evidence to suggest that our changing diets may play an important role in the development of mood disorders such as depression. The typical western diet has become high in saturated fats and refined sugar, while the ....This study will examine the association between diet, physical activity and depression and bipolar disorders. It will examine whether an individual's regular diet and-or levels of physical activity are related to the development and-or course of these psychiatric illnesses. There is evidence to suggest that our changing diets may play an important role in the development of mood disorders such as depression. The typical western diet has become high in saturated fats and refined sugar, while the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has declined, and these large-scale dietary changes may be contributing to increasing rates of depression. Moreover, there is evidence of physical activity being protective against depression, while physical inactivity is a risk factor for depression. Our lifestyles are increasingly sedentary and this may also be a contributing factor to the development of mood disorders. This study will involve women enrolled in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study (GOS), which comprises a highly representative sample of randomly-selected women from the Barwon region. The study will prospectively examine the relationships between diet and exercise and the later development of depressive disorders. To date, there is little data focusing on the role of lifestyle factors in the development of depressive disorders. This study will contribute comprehensive information regarding modifiable lifestyle factors that play a role in the development of these disorders. This data can be incorporated with information regarding other modifiable risk factors, such as drug and alcohol misuse, to create a simple public health message on how to reduce one's risk of developing these disorders. A preventative approach to mental illness would be cost-effective and able to be implemented at a population level. It is likely to lead to better outcomes for those affected by depressive illnesses and reduce the public health burden of psychiatric illness in Australia.Read moreRead less