Mobile Intervention For Drinking In Young People (MIDY): Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,378.00
Summary
Binge drinking is a significant health and social issue in Australia. In this innovative trial, we will communicate with young people via their mobile phones while they are on a night out. Young people will send hourly information about their drinking and will receive a relevant message in response, encouraging them to slow down or avoid harmful activities. The methods and the messages were developed in partnership with young people and have been tested in real drinking situations.
Risky Business: Improving Understanding Of Young People’s Risky Alcohol Consumption, Drug Use And Sexual Behaviour.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$299,564.00
Summary
Increasing numbers of young Australians engage in high-risk alcohol and drug use and sexual behaviour, and experience preventable health outcomes such as injuries, violence and sexually transmitted infections. Despite growing concern, we lack understanding about why young adults take risks, which groups are most at risk, and how different drugs, contexts and settings contribute. Using unique datasets and novel analytical strategies I will generate new knowledge to inform public health responses.
In it to win it: an interdisciplinary investigation of sports betting. This project aims to better understand how young adults use, communicate about and experience mobile phone sports betting applications. Gambling generates significant health and social harms in Australia. Yet there is little research on the use of betting apps, even though sports betting is the fastest growing segment of the gambling market. This project intends to examine how use of sports betting apps is becoming establishe ....In it to win it: an interdisciplinary investigation of sports betting. This project aims to better understand how young adults use, communicate about and experience mobile phone sports betting applications. Gambling generates significant health and social harms in Australia. Yet there is little research on the use of betting apps, even though sports betting is the fastest growing segment of the gambling market. This project intends to examine how use of sports betting apps is becoming established as everyday social practice normalising problem gambling. The findings will enhance understanding of the social contexts of sports betting, and inform gambling policy and programs leading to better health and social outcomes.Read moreRead less
PEERS: Developing An IPad-delivered Social Assessment Tool For Children And Adolescents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$898,094.00
Summary
We will produce a tool to identify social impairments in children and adolescents. The tool, called PEERSTM (Paediatric Evaluation of Emotions, Relationships & Socialisation), is at the forefront of digital health, combining cutting edge research with technology for increased accuracy, speed and efficiencies within the healthcare system. It is: i) based on social neuroscience theory; ii) supported by poof-of-concept data; and iii) of high relevance to health professionals and educators.
The Impact Of Oxytocin On Social Cognition And Behaviour In Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$261,117.00
Summary
Deficits in social functioning are one of the core features of Autism Spectrum Disorders and evidence suggests that the Oxytocin (OT) system may be dysregulated in these individuals. This proposal tests the effects of synthetic OT in a sample of youth with ASD on measures of social cognition and behaviour. This research may lead to more efficient and effective treatments for ASD and may enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying Autism and related disorders.
Alcohol, Angry Rumination, And Aggression: The Role Of Acute Impairment Of Executive Functioning
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$341,780.00
Summary
In Australia, alcohol-induced aggression imposes substantial psychological, public health, social, and economic burdens on victims, perpetrators, and society. When people drink and brood over interpersonal transgresssions, they are at increased risk of violence, even toward the innocent. The goal of the proposed research is to identify neuropsychological mechanisms that account for this increased aggression.
Psychosocial influences determining Australians' sun safe practices: An examination of attitudes, norms, and control perceptions. Skin cancer accounts for approximately 80% of all new cancers diagnosed annually in Australia. As the performance of sun safe practices is dependent on individual decision-making processes, it is vital to understand the motivations underlying people's sun-protective actions. Identification of the important predictors of motivations to sun-protect will assist in develo ....Psychosocial influences determining Australians' sun safe practices: An examination of attitudes, norms, and control perceptions. Skin cancer accounts for approximately 80% of all new cancers diagnosed annually in Australia. As the performance of sun safe practices is dependent on individual decision-making processes, it is vital to understand the motivations underlying people's sun-protective actions. Identification of the important predictors of motivations to sun-protect will assist in developing specific in-class and online intervention strategies to increase people's performance of sun safety behaviours. The results of the proposed research have significant implications for reducing the incidence of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer and sun-related damage in a high risk context, ultimately reducing skin-cancer morbidity and mortality rates.Read moreRead less
Increasing The Efficacy Of Treatment For Socially Anxious Youth Through Theoretically Derived Improvements
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$971,747.00
Summary
Social anxiety has a severe impact on young people. Although we have good treatments for most anxious youth, those with social anxiety show the least change. The proposed project will evaluate the benefits of a new treatment for socially anxious young people based on current understanding of the causes of this disorder. The new treatment will have better effects than traditional therapy and will lead to increased knowledge of the causes of this disorder.
Staying Safe: How Do Long Term Injecting Drug Users Avoid Hepatitis C Infection?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$328,843.00
Summary
This project seeks to discover how and why some injecting drug users have managed to avoid becoming infected with hepatitis C despite having injected for many years in localities in which most other injectors have acquired the virus. The primary interest is on the strategies used by current long term (8 years or more) injectors to avoid HCV infection. Research will also be done to understand the strategies and prevention tactics used by people with HCV to avoid passing it on to others.