Skip to content

Search

Aboriginal-led survey to better understand the mental health of young Aboriginal LGBTQA+ people

A project, lead by Aboriginal and Aboriginal LGBTQA+ researchers examining the mental health of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ people, is launching a nation-wide survey, to help drive meaningful change for the community.

Innovative mental health researcher takes top prize at WA Mental Health Awards

Outstanding Aboriginal mental health researcher Professor Juli Coffin has taken out top honours at the 2021 Western Australian Mental Health Awards in recognition of her ground-breaking work to enhance Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing.

Pioneering mental health researcher named a 2021 Human Rights Medal finalist

Congratulations to trailblazing mental health researcher Professor Helen Milroy, who has been announced as a finalist for the 2021 Human Rights Medal.

The Kids researchers named as finalists in 2020 Premier’s Science Awards

Two The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers have been named as finalists in the 2020 Western Australian Premier’s Science Awards.

Loneliness and Emotional and Externalizing Problems in Early Adolescence: Moderating and Mediating Effects of Coping Skills

Loneliness is an unavoidable facet of human existence. When chronic and intense, adolescent loneliness is associated with maladjustment over time. A prospective multiple-cohort study examined the links between child-reported loneliness and coping skills and parent-rated child mental health in early adolescence, with a total of 266 students from 75 primary and 152 secondary schools.

The Luminos Project: Co-Designing a Short-Stay Suicide Support Model for Young People

Suicide was the leading cause of death among young Australians aged 15-24 years old in 2023, with 392 lives lost. The continued high numbers of youth suicide demand urgent exploration of alternative approaches to suicide intervention in this population. The United Kingdom-based suicide service Maytree offers an innovative short-term stay for people experiencing suicidal thoughts. Grounded by the Maytree model-of-care, the aim of the current study was to co-design a short-stay service responsive to the specific needs of suicidal young people.

“Society really does not like people with psychosis”: A thematic analysis of the stigma and self-stigma experiences of young people at-risk for psychosis

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.

Characterising symptomatic substates in individuals on the psychosis continuum: a hidden Markov modelling approach

To improve early intervention and personalise treatment for individuals early on the psychosis continuum, a greater understanding of symptom dynamics is required. We address this by identifying and evaluating the movement between empirically derived attenuated psychotic symptomatic substates-clusters of symptoms that occur within individuals over time.

Analysis of risk factors associated with suicidality in children and adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Western Australia

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.

Future Proofing Study: a cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a universal school-based cognitive-behavioural programme for adolescent depression

Psychological prevention programmes delivered in schools may reduce symptoms of depression. However, high-quality, large-scale trials are lacking.