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Amanda Zaffino

Amanda is a Certified Child Life Specialist and has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis on Child Life in Hospitals and Early Childhood Education.

Comparing education with and without indirect contact to reduce stigma towards youth at-risk for psychosis

Stigma towards individuals with mental health concerns is a global issue, including among young people at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. This study compared two written anti-stigma resources: (a) Education and (b) Lived Experience + Education, among young adults and parents/caregivers.

Experiences and Recognition of Intimate Partner Violence among a Community-Sample of LGBTIQA + People in Western Australia

LGBTIQA + people experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at higher rates than non-LGBTIQA + people but under-utilize professional support services, and the reasons for this are poorly understood. This study examined IPV experiences, recognition of IPV, service utilization, and support needs among a self-selected sample of 523 LGBTIQA + adults in Western Australia.

Perceived stigma and self-stigma in young people at ultra-high risk for psychosis: Associations with identity-related, psychological and functional outcomes

Perceived stigma and self-stigma negatively affect identity-related, psychological and functional outcomes among stigmatised populations. There is limited research exploring the impact of stigma among young people at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. We investigated the association of perceived stigma and self-stigma with these outcomes in young people at UHR.

“I don't think either of us have really got over the diagnosis.” Caregiver perspectives on medical trauma in adolescent type 1 diabetes; a trauma-informed qualitative investigation

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a 'family illness'; diagnoses and management can be perceived as invasive or traumatic. Caregivers bear the brunt of the diagnostic shock, influencing their child's experience. Children and adolescents may grapple with the psychological effects of past/ongoing medical trauma. Additionally, adolescents may struggle with their mental health as they navigate tensions between caregiver involvement and their developmental need for autonomy.

The Promoting Resilience in Stress Management for Parents (PRISM-P) Intervention: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial in Parents of Young Children With Type 1 Diabetes

Parents of young children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at risk of experiencing elevated stress due to their responsibilities as caregivers. Despite this, there are limited interventions designed to enhance resilience in this population of parents. This pilot randomised controlled trial aimed to examine the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the Promoting Resilience in Stress Management for Parents (PRISM-P) intervention in parents of young children with T1D.

#Parentingtips: A Descriptive Study of Information for Parents on TikTok

Parents and caregivers often turn to the internet for information about their child's health and development. Research investigating content related to parenting on the world's most popular social media platform, TikTok, has not been conducted.

The Association Between Breakfast Skipping and Positive and Negative Emotional Wellbeing Outcomes for Children and Adolescents in South Australia

The prevalence of child and adolescent breakfast skipping is concerning, and limited existing evidence suggests an association between skipping breakfast and negative emotional wellbeing outcomes. However, positive emotional wellbeing outcomes have been neglected from research in this space.

“Wait with me until it's over”: A reflexive thematic analysis of adolescents’ coping with dissociation

Dissociation is often distressing, yet how affected adolescents manage dissociation in their daily lives is not well understood. This study aimed to describe the strategies adolescents use to manage dissociative symptoms from the perspective of adolescents themselves, their parents, and their clinicians.

Psychometric evaluation of the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory in autistic and non-autistic adults

Measures of autistic traits are only useful – for pre-diagnostic screening, exploring individual differences, and gaining personal insight – if they efficiently and accurately assess autism as currently conceptualised while maintaining psychometric validity across different demographic groups. We recruited 1322 autistic and 1279 non-autistic adults who varied in autism status (non-autistic, diagnosed autistic, self-identifying autistic) and gender (cisgender men, cisgender women, gender diverse) to assess the psychometric properties of the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory, a recently developed measure of autistic traits that examines six trait domains using 42 self-report statements.