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Research
The psychosocial impact of rare diseases among children and adolescents attending mainstream schools in Western AustraliaLiving with a long-term medical condition is associated with heightened risk for mental health and psychosocial difficulties, but further research is required on this risk for children and adolescents with a rare disease in the educational setting. The aim of this study is to describe parents’ perceptions of the psychosocial impact of rare diseases on their school-aged children in Western Australia.
Research
Computerized cognitive behavioural therapy for gender minority adolescents: Analysis of the real-world implementation of SPARX in New ZealandSPARX is a form of computerized cognitive behavioural therapy in serious game format funded via the Ministry of Health to be freely available in New Zealand. At registration users identify themselves as male, female, transgender or intersex. We aimed to establish whether adolescent transgender users of SPARX, compared to adolescent male and female users, were more likely to have high mental health needs at baseline and were more likely to complete SPARX. We also sought to determine changes in transgender adolescents' depressive symptoms after using SPARX.
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Early motor function of children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic reviewEarly motor impairments have been reported in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), but it is not clear if early detection of motor impairments can identify children at risk for NDD or how early such impairments might be detected. Our aim was to characterize early motor function in children later diagnosed with NDD relative to typically developing children or normative data.
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Gender differences in the experience of psychotic-like experiences and their associated factors: A study of adolescents from the general population"Psychotic-Like Experiences" (PLEs) are common in the general population. While they are usually transient and resolve spontaneously, they can be distressing and signify increased risk for later psychosis or other psychopathology. It is important to investigate factors associated with PLEs which could be targeted to reduce their prevalence and impact. Males and females are known to experience PLEs differently, but any gender differences in the relationships between PLEs and other, potentially targetable, factors are currently unknown.
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Qualitative investigation of perceived barriers to and enablers of sport participation for young people with first episode psychosisThe participants responded favourably to the idea of using sport to promote recovery post-first episode of psychosis
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Online self-compassion training to improve the wellbeing of youth with chronic medical conditions: Protocol for a randomised control trialThe Self-Compassion Online program could provide a scalable solution for improving psychological outcomes and quality of life among youth with chronic illness
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Harmonised collection of data in youth mental health: Towards large datasetsThe use of this core set of data will facilitate the pooling of psychopathological and neurobiological data into large datasets
News & Events
Premier’s Science Awards finalists recognised for work in physical activity, cancer and mental healthFour The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers from a diverse range of fields have been named as finalists for the prestigious 2022 Premier’s Science Awards.
News & Events
Lancet paper finds hormone therapy for trans young people can improve mental health - but authors say more research is desperately neededA Lancet-published review of the evidence around the use of gender-affirming hormones and surgery in trans children and adolescents has found such interventions can lead to a marked improvement in mental health outcomes and quality of life.
News & Events
Trans young people at high risk of depression and suicideTrans Pathways is the largest ever survey conducted into the mental health of trans young people in Australia.