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Research

Climate change, activism, and supporting the mental health of children and young people: Perspectives from Western Australia

The climate crisis has detrimental impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Psychological effects include feelings of fear, overwhelm, worry, distress, hopelessness and anger; PTSD; depression; anxiety; phobias; panic disorder; sleep disturbances; attachment disorders; learning difficulties; substance abuse; shock and trauma symptoms; adjustment problems; behavioural problems; and, suicidal thinking.

Research

School-based depression and anxiety prevention programs: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Depression and anxiety are often first experienced during childhood and adolescence, and interest in the prevention of these disorders is growing. The focus of this review was to assess the effectiveness of psychological prevention programs delivered in schools, and to provide an update to our previous review from five years ago (Werner-Seidler, Perry, Calear, Newby, & Christensen, 2017).

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Global prevalence of psychosocial assessment following hospital-treated self-harm: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Hospital-treated self-harm is common, costly and associated with repeated self-harm and suicide. Providing a comprehensive psychosocial assessment following self-harm is recommended by professional bodies and may improve outcomes.

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Substance use among trans and gender diverse young people in Australia: Patterns, correlates and motivations

There is a dire paucity of research into the burden, correlates and motives of substance use among trans young people in Australia.

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Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevention of internalizing disorders in early childhood

Internalizing problems comprise a significant amount of the mental health difficulties experienced during childhood. Implementing prevention programs during early childhood may prevent internalizing problems. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of both targeted and universal prevention programs in preventing internalizing problems for children aged 3- to 5-years and their parents.

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The Stride program: Feasibility and pre-to-post program change of an exercise service for university students experiencing mental distress

Rates of mental illness are disproportionately high for young adult and higher education (e.g., university student) populations. As such, universities and tertiary institutions often devote significant efforts to services and programs that support and treat mental illness and/or mental distress. However, within that portfolio of treatment approaches, structured exercise has been relatively underutilised and greater research attention is needed to develop this evidence base.

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Mind the distance: experiences of non-face-to-face child and youth mental health services during COVID-19 social distancing restrictions in Western Australia

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, social distancing restrictions limited access to face-to-face mental health services in Western Australia (WA), necessitating a rapid transition to non-face-to-face alternatives, including telehealth. The current study investigated barriers and facilitators to telehealth access and engagement, and preferences for child and youth mental health service delivery during and beyond COVID-19.

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The Future Proofing Study: Design, methods and baseline characteristics of a prospective cohort study of the mental health of Australian adolescents

The Future Proofing Study (FPS) was established to examine factors associated with the onset and course of mental health conditions during adolescence. This paper describes the design, methods, and baseline characteristics of the FPS cohort.

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Rurality as a predictor of perinatal mental health and well-being in an Australian cohort

Perinatal emotional well-being is more than the presence or absence of depressive and anxiety disorders; it encompasses a wide range of factors that contribute to emotional well-being.

Research

Psychosocial functioning in the balance between autism and psychosis: evidence from three populations

Functional impairment is a core feature of both autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. While diagnostically independent, they can co-occur in the same individual at both the trait and diagnostic levels. The effect of such co-occurrence is hypothesized to worsen functional impairment. The diametric model, however, suggests that the disorders are etiologically and phenotypically diametrical, representing the extreme of a unidimensional continuum of cognition and behavior.