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Research

There has been concerns about the increasing incidence of youth depression and anxiety, with school teachers seeking out ways to better equip youth with skills to help them deal with daily life. A resilience training programme for youth was implemented in one region of New Zealand.

Research

Children with mental health disorders have lower physical activity levels compared to their peers; however, minimal research has been conducted to date to understand their unique experiences of physical activity. We sought to better understand these experiences, along with contributing factors, through interviews with children with mental health disorders and their parents/guardians.

Research

Autistic children experience significantly higher rates of anxiety compared to nonautistic children. The precise relations between autism characteristics and anxiety symptoms remain unclear in this population. Previous work has explored associations at the domain level, which involve examining broad categories or clusters of symptoms, rather than the relationships between specific symptoms and/or individual characteristics. We addressed this gap by taking a network approach to understand the shared structure of autism characteristics and anxiety symptoms.

The Healing Kids, Healing Families team strives to understand how trauma and adverse circumstances can impact a child and their family, and how we can help them to recover from these experiences.

News & Events

The generous support of West Australians through Channel 7’s Telethon Trust will help support vital child health research at The Kids Research Institute Australia in 2023.

Research

Media guidelines for the responsible reporting of suicide are a recognized universal suicide prevention intervention. While implemented in numerous countries, including Australia, little is known about whether they are cost-effective.

Research

This study examined whether the 12-month prevalence of major depressive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder among 6- to 17-year-olds in Australia changed between 1998 and 2013 to 2014. It also investigated whether changes in the prevalence of disorders over this time varied for children living in families containing 2 parents versus single parents, and families with high versus low income.

Research

Children far in advance of pubertal development may be deferred from further assessment for gender-affirming medical treatment until nearer puberty. It is vital that returning peripubertal patients are seen promptly to ensure time-sensitive assessment and provision of puberty suppression treatment where appropriate.

Research

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is particularly common among trans young people. Trans young people tend to experience high levels of emotional distress due to the unique stressors they face, and often use NSSI as an emotion regulation strategy. These stressors include gender dysphoria, body image concerns, and transphobic experiences.

Research

Siblings of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) are exposed to unique family environments and experience a range of psychosocial risk and resilience factors.