Controlled trial of a family intervention for children bullied by peers. Bullying by peers begins as early as pre-school and affects a tenth of Australian children almost every day. This has serious ongoing consequences including increased risk of mental health problems, onset of health problems, development of negative school attitudes and behaviour problems and loss of friendships. This study is a controlled trial of a family program to assist children and parents to reduce the incidence and i ....Controlled trial of a family intervention for children bullied by peers. Bullying by peers begins as early as pre-school and affects a tenth of Australian children almost every day. This has serious ongoing consequences including increased risk of mental health problems, onset of health problems, development of negative school attitudes and behaviour problems and loss of friendships. This study is a controlled trial of a family program to assist children and parents to reduce the incidence and impact of bullying. If successful, such a program could provide relief to many children and families struggling with bullying and save untold millions of dollars lost to future mental health demands.Read moreRead less
School Bullies and Victims: The Influence of Children's Groups. School bullying is commonly displayed in Australian schools with serious effects for the victims. This project will enhance our understanding of the influence of children's social groups on school bullying and victimization. Increasing understanding of this devastating social phenomenon will provide a basis for developing focused intervention strategies that are directed at both bullies and victims. In turn, this will improve the le ....School Bullies and Victims: The Influence of Children's Groups. School bullying is commonly displayed in Australian schools with serious effects for the victims. This project will enhance our understanding of the influence of children's social groups on school bullying and victimization. Increasing understanding of this devastating social phenomenon will provide a basis for developing focused intervention strategies that are directed at both bullies and victims. In turn, this will improve the learning context for all students, enhance the environment in which teachers work, and strengthen the fabric of communities by contributing to the development of harmony and cooperation between people.Read moreRead less
Compromised or competent? A longitudinal study of twin children's social competencies friendships and behavioural adjustment. Twins are a significant and increasing proportion of the school population. This study of twins, transition to school and friendship will advance knowledge in young children's social and emotional health, the national priority area Promoting and maintaining good health. It informs the early childhood education community (particularly policy makers, educators and parents) ....Compromised or competent? A longitudinal study of twin children's social competencies friendships and behavioural adjustment. Twins are a significant and increasing proportion of the school population. This study of twins, transition to school and friendship will advance knowledge in young children's social and emotional health, the national priority area Promoting and maintaining good health. It informs the early childhood education community (particularly policy makers, educators and parents) about twin children's transition to school with a particular focus on social competence. It will address many key outcomes, identified by Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, as priorities for the Early Years. The findings will have direct relevance for parents, educators, health professionals and policy-makers.Read moreRead less
Health and resilience in the preschool years: An innovative approach to early intervention. Given the prevalence of psychopathology in childhood, it is essential that we maximise the effectiveness of early intervention (EI). Drawing on theory and research highlighting the marked influence, on cognitive and socio-emotional development, of particular kinds of parent-child discussions about past experiences, this project aims to foster preschooler's achievement of key developmental tasks (emergent ....Health and resilience in the preschool years: An innovative approach to early intervention. Given the prevalence of psychopathology in childhood, it is essential that we maximise the effectiveness of early intervention (EI). Drawing on theory and research highlighting the marked influence, on cognitive and socio-emotional development, of particular kinds of parent-child discussions about past experiences, this project aims to foster preschooler's achievement of key developmental tasks (emergent literacy, emotion knowledge, attachment) by training parents and children in effective conversational styles. The research will (i) develop an innovative, theoretically-driven approach to EI, (ii) test this approach in clinical and nonclinical populations, and (iii) provide a strong test of social interaction theories of development.Read moreRead less
Growing up too quickly? Body objectification in adolescent and pre-adolescent girls (teens and tweens). The premature sexualisation of girls is seen as a major public health issue in Australia by government, welfare agencies and the general public alike. While the sexually objectified presentation of children in the media is well documented and unarguable, the consequences for individual psychological well-being are not. The empirical data base provided by the present project will allow the ide ....Growing up too quickly? Body objectification in adolescent and pre-adolescent girls (teens and tweens). The premature sexualisation of girls is seen as a major public health issue in Australia by government, welfare agencies and the general public alike. While the sexually objectified presentation of children in the media is well documented and unarguable, the consequences for individual psychological well-being are not. The empirical data base provided by the present project will allow the identification of girls who might be particularly vulnerable (or resilient) to the effects of objectification and sexualization, as well as suitable targets for intervention. Thus the research seeks to contribute to the well-being of adolescent and pre-adolescent girls (National Research Priority No. 2).
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On feeling good and succeeding: Identifying the antecedents of emotional well-being and school success amongst adolescents. We propose a multi-wave longitudinal study of all high school students in the Wollongong Catholic Diocese, identifying the psychological predictors of academic and emotional problems. We will track students and monitor the influence over time of a comprehensive set of predictors, examining their unique effects on the trajectories of educational and emotional outcomes. The s ....On feeling good and succeeding: Identifying the antecedents of emotional well-being and school success amongst adolescents. We propose a multi-wave longitudinal study of all high school students in the Wollongong Catholic Diocese, identifying the psychological predictors of academic and emotional problems. We will track students and monitor the influence over time of a comprehensive set of predictors, examining their unique effects on the trajectories of educational and emotional outcomes. The study will inform us about the developmental processes through which youth pass, leading to a new model of the psychological processes involved in academic and emotional outcomes. This model will enhance future intervention programmes with youth at risk of academic and emotional problems.Read moreRead less
Young Carers: Investigation of the Psychosocial Impact of Caregiving on Youth Who Have a Parent with an Illness or Disability. This project addresses a growing national public health concern; the welfare of youth affected by parental illness/disability. There is a projected increase in reliance on unpaid care, and young carers are an important but hidden and neglected carer group. Although young carers have recently emerged on the political agenda, the research in this field is at an early descr ....Young Carers: Investigation of the Psychosocial Impact of Caregiving on Youth Who Have a Parent with an Illness or Disability. This project addresses a growing national public health concern; the welfare of youth affected by parental illness/disability. There is a projected increase in reliance on unpaid care, and young carers are an important but hidden and neglected carer group. Although young carers have recently emerged on the political agenda, the research in this field is at an early descriptive stage resulting in a lack of empirical data to inform policy and service development. There is a critical need for data that elucidates young caregiving in Australia. This project will establish new methodologies and frameworks and provide data that will inform policy and services that promote the healthy development of youth affected by parental illness/disability.Read moreRead less
Challenging Disadvantage: The Social Outcomes of an Early Educational Intervention with the Family. Theory and observation indicate the importance of early parent-child interactions in determining the well-being of individuals in society. However, rigorous research is needed to explore whether early intervention in family life can enhance such development, particularly the proposed capacity of changed parenting roles and family interactions to interrupt the trans-generational perpetuation of so ....Challenging Disadvantage: The Social Outcomes of an Early Educational Intervention with the Family. Theory and observation indicate the importance of early parent-child interactions in determining the well-being of individuals in society. However, rigorous research is needed to explore whether early intervention in family life can enhance such development, particularly the proposed capacity of changed parenting roles and family interactions to interrupt the trans-generational perpetuation of socio-economic disadvantage. This project investigates the usefulness of an early intervention program new to Australia, the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY). It examines the processes of HIPPY and possible consequent mediating effects of family relationships on child development outcomes, in a disadvantaged Australian-born community in Geelong.Read moreRead less
Peer Rejection and the Maladaptive Social Behaviour of Children and Adolescents. Research indicates that peer rejection has serious negative effects on child and adolescent victims. However, little research has addressed the likelihood that peer rejection also has negative consequences for others in the social environment, through its instigation of maladaptive social behaviours such as bullying and ethnic prejudice. Given the incidence of the latter behaviours in primary and secondary schools, ....Peer Rejection and the Maladaptive Social Behaviour of Children and Adolescents. Research indicates that peer rejection has serious negative effects on child and adolescent victims. However, little research has addressed the likelihood that peer rejection also has negative consequences for others in the social environment, through its instigation of maladaptive social behaviours such as bullying and ethnic prejudice. Given the incidence of the latter behaviours in primary and secondary schools, the aim of this project is to conduct a program of research to test an integrative model of the impact of peer rejection on the maladaptive social behaviours of children and adolescents, with a particular focus on ethnic prejudice and bullying.Read moreRead less
Practical methods to evaluate school breakfast programs. This innovative project will provide a doctoral student with the opportunity to develop in-depth academic research within the practical constraints of field-based program evaluation. The candidate will develop a practical methodology to evaluate community-based programs, specifically school breakfast programs in New South Wales. The outcome of the project will be an evaluation protocol, set of tools and reporting proforma that can be appli ....Practical methods to evaluate school breakfast programs. This innovative project will provide a doctoral student with the opportunity to develop in-depth academic research within the practical constraints of field-based program evaluation. The candidate will develop a practical methodology to evaluate community-based programs, specifically school breakfast programs in New South Wales. The outcome of the project will be an evaluation protocol, set of tools and reporting proforma that can be applied by volunteers and teachers to evaluate school breakfast programs. The research process undertaken by the candidate also will be applicable to the development of evaluation methodologies of a range of community-based programs.Read moreRead less