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Six researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded $8.9 million in prestigious Investigator Grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Research

Stigma and self-stigma reduce self-esteem and increase hopelessness and suicidality. While psychotic disorders are widely recognized as the most stigmatizing of all mental health disorders, there is a dearth of research investigating how stigma and self-stigma are experienced by young people at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis.

Research

Trans adolescents experience and anticipate stigma to the detriment of their mental health; however, trans adolescents have rarely been consulted about their stigma experiences. This study aimed to understand trans adolescents’ lived experiences of experienced and anticipated stigma.

Research

Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are at an elevated suicide risk compared with those in the general population. This public health issue warrants further research attention to help inform the development of prevention and intervention efforts. Our study is the first to characterize suicidality (i.e., suicidal ideation/suicide attempt) and explore associated risk factors in young individuals with FASD within the Australian context.

Research

Young men aged 18-25 years are at disproportionately increased risk for gambling problems compared to their older or female counterparts. The unique mechanisms that precipitate these problems in this group remain unclear. Data from the largest longitudinal cohort study on Australian men's health (the Ten to Men Study) were used to identify the psychosocial, health-related, and gambling-related behavioral predictors of problem gambling severity in 265 young men aged 18-25 years. Hierarchical multiple ordinal logistic regression analyses found these predictors to explain a moderate proportion of variance in problem gambling severity. 

Research

The current study used a transdiagnostic approach to explore experiences of consumers and professionals on how the process of assessing and diagnosing neurodevelopmental conditions can be improved.

Research

Wellbeing and mental health are fundamental rights of children and adolescents essential for sustainable development. Understanding the epidemiology of child and adolescent wellbeing is essential to informing population health approaches to improving wellbeing and preventing mental illness.

Research

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).

Research

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

Individuals experiencing homelessness are among the most vulnerable population for mental and physical health disparities. Despite navigating numerous stressors on a day-to-day basis, they are vastly underrepresented within coping research. Using a person-centered approach, this study addresses ways in which technology is leveraged to manage ongoing stressors associated with the experience of homelessness.