Improving The Health Of Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Ex-prisoners: A Multi-jurisdictional, Mixed-methods Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,447,978.00
Summary
More than 50,000 people are released from prison in Australia each year. Ex-prisoners experience high rates of mental illness, chronic disease, social disadvantage, drug dependence and premature death, yet we know almost nothing about how to improve their health outcomes. This project will identify key health issues for Indigenous and non-Indigenous ex-prisoners and generate evidence-based responses, simultaneously improving health and reducing reoffending among this highly marginalised group.
Living In A Rural Community:determinants And Consequences Of Mental Health And Wellbeing.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$729,415.00
Summary
Th e proposed study will investigate individual, family and community factors associated with the mental health and wellbeing of residents in rural communties of NSW. It will also examine rural residents' perceptions of their mental health needs and their access and utilisation of health services. The study will be conducted in 3 rural Area Health Services in NSW (Greater Western,Hunter New England and North Coast) comprising 70% of the rural population of NSW. These health regions encompass rur ....Th e proposed study will investigate individual, family and community factors associated with the mental health and wellbeing of residents in rural communties of NSW. It will also examine rural residents' perceptions of their mental health needs and their access and utilisation of health services. The study will be conducted in 3 rural Area Health Services in NSW (Greater Western,Hunter New England and North Coast) comprising 70% of the rural population of NSW. These health regions encompass rural, remote and coastal NSW. We aim to conduct the mail and telephone survey on adults residing in 4000 households across the 3 regions. Unique aspects of the study include: i) Examination of a diverse range of rural communities which will provide the opportunity to investigate the influence and interaction of specific community characteristics on mental health. These community factors will include social and economic factors, severity of rural environmental stress (eg drought), and the levels of access to health and other services. ii) Focus on the household and its members so as to examine the mental health needs of family groups in rural communities. This cross-sectional study will form the baseline for a longitudinal study investigating the changes experienced by rural families over time and the impact of such change on mental health outcomes.Read moreRead less
A Novel Intervention Targeting Insomnia To Prevent Major Depressive Disorder In The Community
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,258,316.00
Summary
In this project we want to see if we can prevent depression by improving insomnia. We will invite people with elevated depression symptoms to undertake a novel self help program to reduce insomnia, and then see if their risk for developing clinical depression is reduced 9 and 18 months later. As far as we know, this approach has not previously been tried. The merit of the project is that we have tangible symptoms (sleep problems) with which to engage individuals in a prevention strategy.
ImpleMentAll: Towards Evidence-based Tailored Implementation Strategies For EHealth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,914.00
Summary
Internet-based programs to treat depression and anxiety (“iCBT” programs) are highly effective. However, there are barriers to increased public use of these programs. This project will test ways to improve the implementation of iCBT in clinical services, with a focus on GP practices. Specifically, two Australian-led subprojects will: (i) trial implementation of stepped care, tailoring care to individual needs, and (ii) compare implementation of iCBT in GP practices, pharmacies and online.
Prevention At Critical Points: A Randomised Controlled Trial Of An E Health Application To Prevent Depression, Suicide Risk And Anxiety In Youth.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$711,083.00
Summary
Adolescence is a highly stressful period in a young person's life: a time during which depression commonly develops, not only affecting interpersonal relationships and emotional functioning, but also impacting on academic performance. This project is the first of its kind. It target students during Year 11, providing them with an online, automated, self-help depression program, with the aim of preventing the development of depression in Year 12, and of improving academic success.
Understanding What Works: Examining Innovative Internet-delivered Self-help Treatments For Chronic Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$311,860.00
Summary
Chronic pain is a common chronic medical condition and results in substantial personal and economic burden for individuals, their families and society. Unfortunately, access to effective care is limited, but internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (iCBT) may improve access to treatment. The proposed research seeks to examine what makes iCBT efficacious for chronic pain and how outcomes may be facilitated using technology-assisted behaviour change strategies.
Internet-based Prevention And Early Intervention For Youth Mental Health: E-health Applications For Anxiety, Depression, And Help-seeking Behaviour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$337,810.00
Summary
The primary aim of this research is to explore the effectiveness of an Internet-based program called e-couch (www.ecouch.anu.edu.au) in reducing and preventing symptoms of anxiety in an adolescent school-based population. The trial will be implemented in 30 schools across Australia and will be conducted in collaboration with headspace. The second aim of the research is to identify and evaluate ways to encourage student completion and engagement with e-health programs in the classroom.
Adaptive Screening For Depression, Anxiety And Suicidality For Online Interventions And Primary Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$307,946.00
Summary
A large proportion of people with depression, anxiety or suicidality do not seek help. Existing methods to screen for these conditions are not sufficiently effective and are not well incorporated into health care systems. This study will develop new, individually tailored ways to screen for mental health conditions. The study will test the implementation of these screening tools into a tailored service that combines online and primary care services.
Improving Outcomes For People With Acute Mental Illness In The Emergency Department: A Data Linkage Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$251,470.00
Summary
Currently, there is a lack of integration between emergency and mental health information systems. This means it is difficult for clinicians to comprehensively understand a patient’s interaction with other services – an important aspect when making treatment decisions. Our study will link 5 years of information from health, police and national death databases. This will identify areas where emergency services can be improved for vulnerable people seeking help for their mental health problem.
Prevention Of Depression Using E Health Technologies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,750,000.00
Summary
The number of people experiencing depression in Australia could be reduced radically if we do two things: Provide prevention programs to young people AND reduce the stigma people feel if they seek help. This research aims to develop effective, personalised school prevention programs, and deliver them to every school student in Australia. It also aims to determine how we can lower stigma across Australia by using social media.