Relationship self-regulation as a predictor of marital satisfaction and stability in the early years of marriage. Marital distress and separation are major social problems in Australia. Marital problems are associated with domestic violence, poor health and adjustment of adults and children, and substantial financial costs to individual families and society. The current project tests whether the effort partners expend to sustain the relationship helps maintain relationship satisfaction. If true, ....Relationship self-regulation as a predictor of marital satisfaction and stability in the early years of marriage. Marital distress and separation are major social problems in Australia. Marital problems are associated with domestic violence, poor health and adjustment of adults and children, and substantial financial costs to individual families and society. The current project tests whether the effort partners expend to sustain the relationship helps maintain relationship satisfaction. If true, relationship education programs can be structured to teach people how to enhance their relationships. Effective relationship education could significantly improve the health and quality of life of partners and their children, and reduce national and community costs associated with marital problems. Read moreRead less
Body image instability, disordered eating and muscle dysmorphia. Body image is a serious public health issue. Dissatisfaction with body shape promotes disordered eating in females who fast and purge to lose weight, and muscle dysmorphia in males who over-exercise and use steroids to gain muscle. We will test the idea that these psychological disorders stem from an unstable body image. Our research will reveal the fundamental risk factors associated with disordered eating and muscle dysmorphia an ....Body image instability, disordered eating and muscle dysmorphia. Body image is a serious public health issue. Dissatisfaction with body shape promotes disordered eating in females who fast and purge to lose weight, and muscle dysmorphia in males who over-exercise and use steroids to gain muscle. We will test the idea that these psychological disorders stem from an unstable body image. Our research will reveal the fundamental risk factors associated with disordered eating and muscle dysmorphia and allow us to identify at-risk individuals on the basis of their body image instability. It will also predict patients' amenability to treatments that target body image, thereby improving outcomes for these individuals.Read moreRead less
Regulating anger: Cognitive reappraisal, emotional suppression, and post-event rumination. Australians bear the substantial psychological, social, and economic costs associated with unrestrained anger. Anger problems are associated with school and work difficulties, poor social relationship quality, alcohol and drug use, financial and legal difficulties, premature cardiovascular mortality, and clinically significant mental health problems. Anger and aggression also cause much harm to society th ....Regulating anger: Cognitive reappraisal, emotional suppression, and post-event rumination. Australians bear the substantial psychological, social, and economic costs associated with unrestrained anger. Anger problems are associated with school and work difficulties, poor social relationship quality, alcohol and drug use, financial and legal difficulties, premature cardiovascular mortality, and clinically significant mental health problems. Anger and aggression also cause much harm to society through crime, domestic abuse, and workplace violence among others. The Australian Institute of Criminology estimates the cost of assault, sexual assault, and homicide in Australia at over $2.5 billion per year. The insights gained from this research may help ameliorate these negative consequences of anger.Read moreRead less
Narrative Social Influence: Narrative Communication as an Effective Means of Public Health Campaign. Mass media has been used for public health campaigns with varying degrees of success. This project aims to improve their effectiveness in modifying public attitudes and behaviour to reduce the risk of life style diseases such as cancer, stroke, and heart disease. In particular, the project investigates the effectiveness of narrative as a means of social influence by examining whether it can effec ....Narrative Social Influence: Narrative Communication as an Effective Means of Public Health Campaign. Mass media has been used for public health campaigns with varying degrees of success. This project aims to improve their effectiveness in modifying public attitudes and behaviour to reduce the risk of life style diseases such as cancer, stroke, and heart disease. In particular, the project investigates the effectiveness of narrative as a means of social influence by examining whether it can effectively communicate an appropriate health promoting behaviour to the public, while encouraging people to disseminate the message to others interpersonally, so that not only mass media but also the community itself acts as an agent of social influence.Read moreRead less
The prevalence and cross-cultural comparison of daytime sleepiness in adolescents. International research shows many teenagers have problems falling asleep and being sleepy during the day. This can be due to an irregular sleep pattern of insufficient sleep on school nights, and sleeping-in on weekends. These problems lead to poor outcomes, including poor school performance and negative moods. The aims of the project are to measure the extent of sleep problems in Australian teenagers and compare ....The prevalence and cross-cultural comparison of daytime sleepiness in adolescents. International research shows many teenagers have problems falling asleep and being sleepy during the day. This can be due to an irregular sleep pattern of insufficient sleep on school nights, and sleeping-in on weekends. These problems lead to poor outcomes, including poor school performance and negative moods. The aims of the project are to measure the extent of sleep problems in Australian teenagers and compare these to adolescents in the United States. Detection of teenager sleep problems in Australia could lead to significant community awareness and school policy developments as it has in the United States. Read moreRead less
The social and cognitive functions of affect. Dealing with affective problems represents a major challenge in clinical, health, organisational and counselling psychology. Yet the role that affective states play in thinking, judgments and many everyday social behaviours remains poorly understood.. This project will produce direct national and community benefit by developing a new, integrative theory of affective influences on thinking and action, and exploring the functions and processing consequ ....The social and cognitive functions of affect. Dealing with affective problems represents a major challenge in clinical, health, organisational and counselling psychology. Yet the role that affective states play in thinking, judgments and many everyday social behaviours remains poorly understood.. This project will produce direct national and community benefit by developing a new, integrative theory of affective influences on thinking and action, and exploring the functions and processing consequences of affect in everyday settings. The real-life consequences of affect infusion in applied areas will also be explored. The project will also contribute to Australia's research capability by training doctoral and postdoctoral students, and fostering international research collaboration.Read moreRead less
The effects of maternal attachment, marital satisfaction and sensitivity to infants on infants attachment and adjustment: A longitudinal-structural equation study. This study will examine how family and attachment factors effect the adjustment of infant at 24 months of age. A longitudinal study, using structural equation method, will examine how maternal attachment and marital satisfaction when infants are 4 months of age will effect maternal parenting behaviors two months later, and how all thr ....The effects of maternal attachment, marital satisfaction and sensitivity to infants on infants attachment and adjustment: A longitudinal-structural equation study. This study will examine how family and attachment factors effect the adjustment of infant at 24 months of age. A longitudinal study, using structural equation method, will examine how maternal attachment and marital satisfaction when infants are 4 months of age will effect maternal parenting behaviors two months later, and how all three of these measures will effect infant attachment 6 months later. It will then examine how all four of these measures will effect the adjustment of infants 12 months later. The study will have important implications for early intervention and prevention of psychological problems in infants and children.Read moreRead less
Hearts and minds: Affect, thinking and behaviour. Understanding the influence of affect on health, adjustment and on many everyday behaviours remains an enduring puzzle. This project will produce direct national and community benefit by developing a new, integrative theory of affective influences on thinking and action, and exploring the mechanisms that facilitate or inhibit affective influences on everyday behaviours. The real-life consequences of affect infusion in health, organisational, educ ....Hearts and minds: Affect, thinking and behaviour. Understanding the influence of affect on health, adjustment and on many everyday behaviours remains an enduring puzzle. This project will produce direct national and community benefit by developing a new, integrative theory of affective influences on thinking and action, and exploring the mechanisms that facilitate or inhibit affective influences on everyday behaviours. The real-life consequences of affect infusion in health, organisational, educational, marketing and clinical settings will also be explored. The project will also contribute to Australia's research capability by training doctoral and postdoctoral students, and fostering international research collaboration.Read moreRead less
Investigating the social brain: The neural basis of the link between depressed mood and social cognition. Mood and social relationships are amongst the most important determinants of well being, life functioning, and both mental and physical health. To understand how mood and social behaviour interact, this project will examine the brain mechanisms that are responsible for the impact of mood states on processing social threat stimuli (e.g., stimuli suggesting humiliation, rejection or defeat). T ....Investigating the social brain: The neural basis of the link between depressed mood and social cognition. Mood and social relationships are amongst the most important determinants of well being, life functioning, and both mental and physical health. To understand how mood and social behaviour interact, this project will examine the brain mechanisms that are responsible for the impact of mood states on processing social threat stimuli (e.g., stimuli suggesting humiliation, rejection or defeat). This work will have important implications for understanding vulnerability to recurrent depression, where these processes have been implicated in previous research. The high prevalence of these disorders, and the high cost that they represent to society, makes basic research of this type vital at this time.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0239381
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
Sleep-wake problems in people without primary sleep disorders. Portable sleep recording equipment will enable research to be conducted on sleep wake issues in people under a variety of conditions; such as those arising from substance intake (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine), life stage (menopause, elderly), developmental disorders (intellectual disability, autism, fragile X, ADHD) and other syndromes (chronic pain, depression). This is of particular significance given that sleep problems can cause ....Sleep-wake problems in people without primary sleep disorders. Portable sleep recording equipment will enable research to be conducted on sleep wake issues in people under a variety of conditions; such as those arising from substance intake (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine), life stage (menopause, elderly), developmental disorders (intellectual disability, autism, fragile X, ADHD) and other syndromes (chronic pain, depression). This is of particular significance given that sleep problems can cause daytime sleepiness, fatigue, poor vigilance, lack of attention, negative mood and poor memory. The establishment of this cross-institutional collaborative facility will permit ongoing scientific investigation of such sleep-wake issues with beneficial health and safety implications for community.Read moreRead less