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Research

The concept of ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR) has been at the forefront of psychiatric research for several decades, with the ultimate goal of preventing the onset of psychotic disorder in high-risk individuals. Orygen (Melbourne, Australia) has led a range of observational and intervention studies in this clinical population.

Research

Rett syndrome is a genetically caused neurodevelopmental disorder associated with severe impairments and complex comorbidities. This study examined predictors of anxiety and depression in Rett syndrome, including genotype.

Research

Alexithymia is a trait involving difficulties identifying feelings, difficulties describing feelings, and an externally orientated thinking style. It is an important risk factor for a range of psychopathologies, and its assessment is therefore important in research and clinical settings. Originally created in English, the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire-Short Form (PAQ-S) is a brief 6-item self-report measure of alexithymia. 

Research

Alexithymia—a trait characterized by difficulties in emotion processing—is of high interest in the autism field. However, the lack of validated alexithymia measures for autistic individuals limits progress. This study aimed to address this gap by examining the psychometric properties of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) across autistic and non-autistic samples. Using the PAQ, we investigated how alexithymia manifests in autistic individuals and its links with poor mental health outcomes (anxiety).

Research

Stigma and self-stigma reduce self-esteem and increase hopelessness and suicidality. While psychotic disorders are widely recognized as the most stigmatizing of all mental health disorders, there is a dearth of research investigating how stigma and self-stigma are experienced by young people at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis.

Research

Approximately 8% of all children experience developmental and mental health conditions. Similarities in characteristics across neurodevelopmental conditions-such as difficulties in communication and language, social interaction, motor coordination, attention, activity regulation, behavior, mood, and sleep-make it challenging to attribute these characteristics exclusively to specific diagnoses and assessments. The purpose of this study was to identify symptomatic domains across neurodevelopmental conditions in children and to explore dimension reduction for transdiagnostic assessment. 

Research

Family Day Care (FDC) is an essential service supporting Australian families requiring convenient, versatile, and quality education and care for their children. FDC educators’ mental wellbeing (MWB), often overlooked, is vital to ensure optimal education and care. This study aimed to gauge Australian FDC educators’ MWB and identify factors positively or negatively affecting MWB.

News & Events

The Kids Research Institute Australia is deeply grateful to The Yellow Umbrella Foundation for their generous gift of $38,453 to help fund a new mental health initiative for parents and caregivers of children living with intellectual disability.

News & Events

An innovative and impactful three-year research partnership between Pilbara Minerals and The Kids Research Institute Australia has been established to support the mental health and wellbeing of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers and their families.

Research

Youth sports programs provide an opportunity to embed mental health and wellbeing programs to reach young people with mental health support. The aims of this study were to (a) examine mental health outcomes from a youth sports program including a mental health program (Life-Fit-Learning) in adolescent boys and girls, and (b) among the larger cohort of adolescent boys, to examine whether partial or full completion of Life-Fit-Learning yielded different outcomes for boys within healthy and high-risk ranges for anxiety, depression and behavioral concerns.