Search

Research

Adolescents are heavily exposed to unhealthy outdoor food advertisements near schools, however, the marketing power of these advertisements among adolescents has not yet been explored. This study aimed to investigate the teen-directed marketing features present and quantify the overall marketing power of outdoor food advertisements located near schools to explore any differences by content (ie, alcohol, discretionary, core and miscellaneous foods) school type (ie, primary, secondary, K-12) and area-level socio-economic status (SES; ie, low vs high).

Research

Strong evidence supports our current understandings of student bullying behaviours and ways schools can prevent and respond effectively to bullying behaviour. In the late 1990’s, however, little was understood about the most effective ways to reduce bullying in Australian schools. In response to schools’ need for evidence-informed action, a pipeline of research called Friendly Schools was initiated in 1999 which for the past twenty years, has provided robust whole-school evidence-based knowledge and skills to support policy makers, school staff and other practitioners working in schools and families across Australia.

Research

There are similarities in the performance demands of circus and other performance domains such as leanness sports and dance, yet little is known about the mental health of circus artists. We explored self-reported disordered eating and exercise addictions in a sample of 500 circus artists.

Research

Cognitive and motor dysfunction are hallmark features of the psychosis continuum, and have been detected during late childhood and adolescence in youth who report psychotic experiences (PE). However, previous investigations have not explored infancy and early childhood development.

Research

Therapist factors are generally thought to be important predictors of the capacity to understand and respond to clinical material. The current study aims to identify which features of personality and clinical symptomatology predict a trainee therapist's rating of cognitive behavioural and psychodynamic interpersonal processes in video recordings of these therapies.

Research

To understand the prevalence of children and adolescents’ electronic device use (EDU) in the hour before bed and identify sociodemographic groups that are at increased risk of problematic use.

Research

While the majority of young people who meet the criteria for being considered at increased risk of psychosis do not go on to develop a psychotic disorder, young people are currently being identified and treated in early intervention services.

Research

Energy drinks (EDs) claim to boost mental performance, however, few studies have examined the prospective effects of EDs on mental health. This study examined longitudinal associations between ED use and mental health symptoms in young adults aged 20 years over a 2-year period.

Research

The involvement of young people in the development, implementation and evaluation of youth mental health services, policy and research programs is essential to ensure they are appropriate and responsive to the needs of young people. Despite the increasingly central role that youth engagement and participation plays internationally, such activities are rarely described in detail.

Research

This study explored the extent to which disaggregated support from family, peers, close friendships, teachers, and schools predicted membership into identified, sex-specific trajectories of depressed mood in 3210 Australian adolescents (49% females) based on self-report data collected at four annual time points from school Grade 6 to 9 (ages 10–16).

News & Events

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

Research

It is well established that children’s school readiness is associated with their later academic achievement, but less is known about whether school readiness is also associated with other measures of school success, such as students’ social and emotional wellbeing. While some previous research has shown a link between early social and emotional development and student wellbeing, results are mixed and the strength of these relationships vary depending on whether data is based on child, teachers or parents ratings and which specific student wellbeing outcomes are measured.

People

PhD Candidate

Research

These results show that a word gap related to maternal education is not apparent up to twelve months of age

News & Events

Trans Pathways is set to receive an update in the lead-up to the ten-year anniversary of the release of this seminal study by The Kids Research Institute Australia.

Research

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.

Research

Autism genetics has historically attracted a substantial proportion of autism research funding internationally. However, more recently, several controversies centered on ethical conduct and lack of community consultation have emerged. This has triggered Autistic-led protests for the functional and meaningful inclusion of Autistic voices in the research design.

Research

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.

Research

Trans individuals face elevated health risks and socio-environmental challenges, influencing their engagement in health-protective behaviors (e.g. exercise and nutrition). Despite these challenges, there is a significant gap in understanding the specific eating and exercise experiences of Australian trans adults, including barriers to healthy behaviors and healthcare experiences. This study aims to address this gap by exploring these experiences, informing targeted interventions and healthcare practices to improve health outcomes.

Research

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of mental health problems and identify potential risk and protective exposures for adolescents in Indonesia. An innovative sampling approach was applied to simultaneously recruit school- and community-based adolescents aged 16-18 years old from Jakarta (urban megacity) and South Sulawesi (remote province).