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Research
Who's declining the "free lunch"? New evidence from the uptake of public child dental benefitsThis study provides the first evidence on the determinants of uptake of two recent public dental benefit programs for Australian children and adolescents from disadvantaged families. Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative survey linked to administrative data with accurate information on eligibility and uptake, we find that only a third of all eligible families actually claim their benefits.
Research
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Associated Stressors and Comorbidities in Children and Youth with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder across the Child Protection and Justice Settings in Western AustraliaIndividuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) are at risk of having adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), especially those with child protection or justice system involvement. The complex relationship between FASD and psychosocial vulnerabilities in the affected individual is an important clinical risk factor for comorbidity.
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Supporting Parents as their Child’s First Teacher: Aboriginal Parents’ Perceptions of KindiLinkThis paper reports on Aboriginal parents’ perceptions about their involvement in a Western Australian pilot initiative called KindiLink. The program seeks to support parents as their child’s first teacher and thereby enhance Aboriginal children’s early-years development, while strengthening relationships between families and schools. A constructivist paradigm was used to inform the methodology which placed Aboriginal voices at the centre of the research.
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International Trauma-Informed Practice Principles for Schools (ITIPPS): expert consensus of best-practice principlesRecognition that schools should be responsive to children who are impacted by adversity and trauma is burgeoning internationally. However, consensus regarding the necessary components of a trauma-informed school is lacking. This research developed expert-informed and internationally relevant best-practice trauma-informed principles for schools.
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Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevention of internalizing disorders in early childhoodInternalizing 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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Promoting mental well-being in Western Australia: Act Belong Commit® mental health promotion campaign partners’ perspectivesThe Act Belong Commit® mental health promotion campaign aims to improve population mental well-being. Based on a social-franchising model, partnerships are sought with organizations offering 'mentally healthy activities' that foster social connectedness and mental well-being. There are four categories of partner organizations sought: Site (government agencies and health services), Associate (organizations with state-wide or national services), Community (local, grass-roots community groups) and Schools.
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The role of fathers in supporting the development of their NICU infantContemporary models of NICU care emphasize the critical role of parents in supporting their infant's development. Fathers play an important, but underutilized, role throughout their infant's NICU journey. This narrative review describes the main direct and indirect mechanisms through which fathers support the development of their NICU infant, and the barriers and facilitators to this support as described in current research.
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Emotional labor and emotional exhaustion in psychologists: Preliminary evidence for the protective role of self-compassion and psychological flexibilityThe emotional exhaustion component of burnout is concerningly prevalent in psychologists providing psychotherapy. Emotional labor is a known contributor to burnout through the pathway of emotional dissonance and is beginning to develop attention in psychologist wellbeing literature.
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Psychometric properties of the Perth emotional labour scale: Preliminary support for a new measure with theoretical implicationsEmotional labour is the process by which people regulate emotions congruently with occupational requirements. Research consistently links emotional labour to greater levels of burnout. However, we argue this literature is potentially confounded by measurement error.
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Mental-health disparities between heterosexual and sexual-minority adolescents: Examining the role of informant discrepanciesUnderstanding informant discrepancies and their meaning is pivotal to designing surveys that generate robust insights into the health of sexual-minority adolescents