A Parent Education And Skills Training Intervention For Young Adolescents With Autism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$436,500.00
Summary
Autism is a most severe and prevalent lifelong developmental disorder affecting approximately one in every thousand children and their families. Autism is associated with personal suffering and is a significant burden and stress for parents, families and carers and cost to the community. In earlier work we have demonstrated that providing a structured program of parent education and guidance to families with preschool children with autism leads to improved parental adjustment and mental health. ....Autism is a most severe and prevalent lifelong developmental disorder affecting approximately one in every thousand children and their families. Autism is associated with personal suffering and is a significant burden and stress for parents, families and carers and cost to the community. In earlier work we have demonstrated that providing a structured program of parent education and guidance to families with preschool children with autism leads to improved parental adjustment and mental health. The program also led to behavioural and developmental benefits for the child. The early secondary school years bring further stress and difficulty to adolescents with autism and their families. This project aims to assess the effectiveness of a parent education and training program for parents with autistic adolescents aged 12-14 years. If shown to be effective, this manual based intervention can be readily used by professionals to promote parent mental health, family adjustment and improve the wellbeing and outcome for adolescents with autism. As a result, family stress and the necessity of out of home care may be reduced and school participation improved.Read moreRead less
The Effectiveness Of An Indicated Prevention Program For Anxiety
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$867,982.00
Summary
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common disorder. In this research project, we evaluate the effectiveness of a new automated Internet program which is designed to reduce the risk of GAD and to promote self help. If found to be effective, this website will provide assistance to those at risk living in rural and remote areas without access to other resources, and individuals who prefer to seek help anonymously.
The Construction And Validation Of The Assessment Of Mental Health Related Quality Of Life (PsyQoL) Instrument
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$539,450.00
Summary
Mental Health is one of the national health priority areas as well as one of the largest contributors to burden of disease. WHO projections suggest that by 2020 the burden of depression alone will be second only to cardiovascular disease. New treatments for mental disorders are being developed which must be evaluated. Current research methods do not allow an accurate comparison of the cost effectiveness of these therapies with the cost effectiveness of other medical services as this requires the ....Mental Health is one of the national health priority areas as well as one of the largest contributors to burden of disease. WHO projections suggest that by 2020 the burden of depression alone will be second only to cardiovascular disease. New treatments for mental disorders are being developed which must be evaluated. Current research methods do not allow an accurate comparison of the cost effectiveness of these therapies with the cost effectiveness of other medical services as this requires the measurement of 'utility' or 'quality of life'. The small number of 'generic' 'quality of life instruments' developed to date vary significantly in their 'sensitivity' to different illnesses-their ability to detect change-and none is very sensitive to changes in mental health states. The present project is to overcome this deficit. This will be achieved by refining and expanding an instrument developed in Australia, the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument. This is the only instrument to date which was both constructed using correct psychometric principles of instrument construction and which describes health states in terms of the effect upon a patient's ability to function in a social environment. The new instrument called the PsyQoL will increase instrument sensitivity by including a mental health 'module' to the existing instrument and revising existing items. The methods used will include several methodological innovations in the description of health states and the derivation of utility scores. The project will include a large scale 'validation' study which will include the construction of population 'norms' and also the creation of 'exchange rates' between the PsyQoL and other instrument scores. The significance of the project is that the PsyQoL will allow valid and reliable measurement of health states in a way that creates a 'level playing field' between mental and other health related interventions.Read moreRead less
Comparison Of Cognitive-behavioural Treatments For Children With PTSD Following An Accidental Injury: A Multi-site RCT.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$359,111.00
Summary
Children who experience a traumatic event are at increased risk of developing Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the significant consequences, and the poor prognosis of this disorder, few evaluations of interventions for PTSD in children exist. This project will compare two active treatments (child vs. family-focused cognitive behaviour therapy) for children experiencing PTSD following an accidental injury (the most common category of traumatic events experienced by children).
Alcohol Use Disorders In Young Adults: Youthful Epidemic Or Diagnostic Bias?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$198,874.00
Summary
Epidemiological studies show that 1 in 5 Australians aged 18-24 are diagnosed as having an alcohol use disorder. However, there is evidence to suggest that young adults may interpret the diagnostic criteria differently to older adults. The current study aims to validate the alcohol use disorder criteria in younger populations through the use of novel cognitive interviewing techniques.
A Longitudinal Study Of Psychopathology In People With Intellectual Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$999,803.00
Summary
This project will further develop the research opportunities of an internationally unique 15 year follow up study of the mental health of young Australians with ID. We have shown that this group has 2-3 times the risk of suffering serious emotional and behavioural problems that are an added heavy burden on the individual, their family and carers and the community. These problems often are not recognised but are as common as schizophrenia in the community. The study will continue to use a combina ....This project will further develop the research opportunities of an internationally unique 15 year follow up study of the mental health of young Australians with ID. We have shown that this group has 2-3 times the risk of suffering serious emotional and behavioural problems that are an added heavy burden on the individual, their family and carers and the community. These problems often are not recognised but are as common as schizophrenia in the community. The study will continue to use a combination of questionnaire survey and in depth interviews of the young adults and their families or carers to track the course of their mental health. The study commenced in 1990 with nearly 1000 young people with ID aged 4-18 years and their progress has been reviewed every 2-3 years in over 75% of the original group. During the next 5 years we plan to follow their mental health during the critical stage of young adult life. During this time there is the greatest risk of mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia and the stresses of adjusting to new daily occupations, independent living or residential care and social contact away from the family. We will be able to study the specific emotional and behavioural problems faced by young adults with the main known causes of ID such as Down, Fragile X, Prader Willi and William Syndromes, as well as those who have autism. The great benefit of a long term follow up study is that it allows us to study the links between earlier family environmental, psychological and biological factors and subsequent mental health problems. We can also demonstrate the impact that mental illness in a young person with ID has on the family and parental mental health. The findings have implications for better diagnosis, improved care and management, early intervention and prevention of these common severe and under recognized mental health problems in this disadvantaged group of young Australians and their families and carers.Read moreRead less
Identification Of Genes For X-linked Mental Retardation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$675,228.00
Summary
We propose to identify novel heritable causes of intellectual disability using 22 large and well-characterised families from Australia. In these families we have refined the location of the genetic defect to the chromosome X and excluded the contribution of all so far known genes. We will achieve this using the technology of massive parallel sequencing. At the completion of the project we will have identified novel causes of intellectual disability and devised tests to identify them.
A Parent Education And Skills Training Early Intervention For Children With Autism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$305,674.00
Summary
Autism is a severely handicapping disorder adversely affecting social interaction, communication, and behaviour, interests and activities. Over the past 9 years our team has conducted a follow-up study of a large group of 111 Australian children and adolescents with autism. The young people have continued to have very high levels of emotional and behavioural disturbance and generally do not improve. Parents of children with autism are under significant amounts of stress; reporting high levels of ....Autism is a severely handicapping disorder adversely affecting social interaction, communication, and behaviour, interests and activities. Over the past 9 years our team has conducted a follow-up study of a large group of 111 Australian children and adolescents with autism. The young people have continued to have very high levels of emotional and behavioural disturbance and generally do not improve. Parents of children with autism are under significant amounts of stress; reporting high levels of disturbed family functioning and mental health problems. Although there is no cure, children benefit most when early help is provided (under 5 years). There are several promising interventions based on intensive behaviour and educational management, for example requiring 40 hours per week of therapist contact over 2 years. Such programs are costly and impractical as widely available treatment options. Training parents to understand and manage their child also shows promise. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a parent skills training and education treatment program compared to supportive therapy, and to generally available community services. The therapists will follow a treatment manual that will ensure a consistent and replicable approach. The progress of the children with autism and their families will be reassessed immediately after treatment, and at 1 and 2 years post-treatment in order to ascertain immediate and long-term effects of the treatment. If treatment proves to be of use, we will have established a defined, cost efficient, practical and effective model of early treatment that can be easily taught to professionals and widely disseminated throughout early childhood services.Read moreRead less
Identification And Characterisation Of Novel Genes For Congenital Cataract
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$432,750.00
Summary
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. The term describes a clouding of the lens which may lead to visual impairment. Congenital cataracts (present at birth) are less common than age-related cataract but the lifelong impact on vision can be severe, with a third of patients remaining legally blind. Late complications such as aphakic glaucoma may be blinding. We have shown that congenital cataracts are often inherited and have performed a population-based study in South-Eastern Au ....Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. The term describes a clouding of the lens which may lead to visual impairment. Congenital cataracts (present at birth) are less common than age-related cataract but the lifelong impact on vision can be severe, with a third of patients remaining legally blind. Late complications such as aphakic glaucoma may be blinding. We have shown that congenital cataracts are often inherited and have performed a population-based study in South-Eastern Australia over the past 5 years to determine the causative genes. A large number of families have been involved in the study and solid progress has been made in identifying mutations in cataract genes and understanding what effect these may have on the patient's prognosis. We have recently identified a new gene in a large Australian family with a syndrome of cataract, mental retardation and teeth problems. This syndrome, known as Nance-Horan syndrome was originally described in Australia 30 years ago and we have worked with the original family to find the exact gene responsible. We already know that this gene causes the same syndrome in other families and in this project we will examine whether it can cause cataract without the other features or mental retardation without cataract. We will perform a series of experiments to learn what this gene does and how it causes the disease. We have also selected 3 other very interesting families with congenital cataracts for further study as we either know already or strongly suspect that they will enable us to identify further new genes for cataract, and in one case mental retardation. Our work in other diseases indicates that understanding the genes in severe young onset cases can give valuable clues to the causes of age-related forms and may in the future enable new ways to prevent and treat the commonest cause of worldwide blindness.Read moreRead less
Increased Vulnerability To Stress During Opiate Dependence: Molecular, Anatomical, And Behavioural Correlates
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$272,640.00
Summary
Heroin addiction is a major health and societal problem in Australia. It is consistently associated with an adverse impact upon individual users, their families, and communities. It is a chronically relapsing condition for which few, if any effective prevention and treatment strategies exist. Moreover, why an individual initiates and maintains heroin taking remains unclear. Stress and negative emotions have a strong impact on heroin use. Stress may drive some individuals to start using heroin, s ....Heroin addiction is a major health and societal problem in Australia. It is consistently associated with an adverse impact upon individual users, their families, and communities. It is a chronically relapsing condition for which few, if any effective prevention and treatment strategies exist. Moreover, why an individual initiates and maintains heroin taking remains unclear. Stress and negative emotions have a strong impact on heroin use. Stress may drive some individuals to start using heroin, stress increases the pleasurable effects of heroin and stress increases the aversive effects of heroin withdrawal. These effects will encourage addiction and discourage addicts from seeking treatment. Stress can also cause an otherwise drug-free individual to relapse to heroin addiction despite having been drug-free for some time. In this project we will study why stress has such a large impact on heroin addicts and heroin addiction. We will test the hypothesis that heroin use actually produces profound alterations in the neural network in the brain which controls responses to stress. This project uses a simple animal model of heroin addiction whereby rats are injected with morphine to study the regulation of several genes which are important in responding to stress. We will also study how this exposure and changes in gene expression alter neurobiological, cardiovascular, and behavioural responses to stress. This project will identify parts of the brain that are altered during heroin addiction, and will also identify why heroin addicts are more vulnerable to stress than the general population. Therefore, this project will help us to identify targets for therapeutic intervention (both psychological and pharmacological) and possibly disrupt the addictive cycle.Read moreRead less