Adult Consequences Of Childhood Exposure To Psychological Trauma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$292,530.00
Summary
The importance of childhood experience to adult adjustment (DOES THIS MAKE SENSE) is an issue of general public health interest. In particular, in the area of personality development, there are a number of theories concerning the importance of childhood experience and developmental stresses on later personality, development, psychological functioning and physical health. More recently there has been debate on the accuracy with which adults areable to remember traumatic experiences in childhood. ....The importance of childhood experience to adult adjustment (DOES THIS MAKE SENSE) is an issue of general public health interest. In particular, in the area of personality development, there are a number of theories concerning the importance of childhood experience and developmental stresses on later personality, development, psychological functioning and physical health. More recently there has been debate on the accuracy with which adults areable to remember traumatic experiences in childhood. This study will follow a group of 808 primary school children who were exposed to the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires in SOuth Australia. They were involved in a study which examined them two months, eight months and twenty six months after the disaster. This rich descriptive set of information about these children and their families forms an objective data base against which their adult recall of the experience can be judged. The symptoms of these children were also documented at the time as was their disaster exposure. The impact of this one event, in the context of the other developmental influences will be examined as determinants of their adjustment in adult life. Finally, there has been an increasing interest in the way that previous traumatic exposure influences the nature of the hormonal response to stress. Using a test of functioning of the cortisol system, the stress response of this population will be compared with a control population who were also studied at the time of the original disaster.Read moreRead less
Allostatic Mediators Of Socioeconomic Inequalities In Periodontitis Among Australian Adults
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$368,000.00
Summary
Periodontal (gum) disease is a significant cause of tooth loss among adults in Australia. Bacteria (germs) that stick to teeth in dental plaque are the primary cause of gum disease. However, the amount of damage caused to the gums depends heavily on the body's immune system which fights infection throughout the body. Like many other health conditions, gum disease occurs at a higher rate in people in a relatively low socioeconomic-position (SEP) compared to people from high SEP. Studies of other ....Periodontal (gum) disease is a significant cause of tooth loss among adults in Australia. Bacteria (germs) that stick to teeth in dental plaque are the primary cause of gum disease. However, the amount of damage caused to the gums depends heavily on the body's immune system which fights infection throughout the body. Like many other health conditions, gum disease occurs at a higher rate in people in a relatively low socioeconomic-position (SEP) compared to people from high SEP. Studies of other health conditions have shown that psychosocial stress (eg. job strain, financial stress) disproportionately affects people in low SEP groups. Stress, in turn, is known to alter the body's defense mechanisms, including the immune system, contributing to higher rates of conditions such as heart disease. Researchers have used the term allostatic load to describe this failure of the body's defense system under stress. Stress has also been suggested as a contributing factor in gum disease. This study will investigate whether this sequence of events producing allostatic load also plays a role in gum disease. We will study a random sample of 610 Australian adults from the full range of SEP backgrounds. We will ask them about their experience of daily stress, and measure their levels of gum disease and dental plaque. We will also collect samples of fluid from around their gums to measure quantities of two chemicals that indicate the activity of immune defense mechanisms in the gums. We will analyze these results to determine whether stress affects the body's responses to dental plaque, and whether that response accounts for differences in levels of gum disease between SEP groups. Results from this study will pinpoint the role of common bodily defense mechanisms in the development of gum disease. These results may help to identify sources of stress that, if controlled, could reduce rates of gum disease and other conditions affected by allostatic load.Read moreRead less
Optimising Mental Health And Quality Of Life For Australia’s Military Personnel And Veterans With PTSD
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$728,958.00
Summary
Military personnel can experience a range of traumatic events throughout their careers, and many develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result. Effective treatments for PTSD are available but involve seeing a mental health professional weekly for several months, which can be a difficult commitment for many military personnel and veterans to make. This project investigates whether standard treatment for PTSD is as effective when it’s delivered intensively in a shorter period of time.
This program of research will develop and evaluate improved strategies for communication and decision making in medical testing for consumers, patients and clinicians. Better understanding about medical tests and improved interventions to support decision making will enable patients and clinicians make more informed and more appropriate decisions about when and when not to test. This work forms part of a broader objective to build health literacy and shared health decision making in Australia.
Trauma And Recovery: Understanding And Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Refugees
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,000.00
Summary
Refugees report high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, a lack of understanding of the processes underlying refugee mental health has limited the effective treatment of this disabling disorder. My research program will overcome these barriers by uncovering core mechanisms and developing a targeted intervention to reduce PTSD symptoms in refugees. My research will advance knowledge about refugee mental health, and inform best-practice clinical care of refugees.
Step Up: A Technology-enhanced Stepped Psychological Intervention For Strengthening Adaptive Capacity And Treating Post-traumatic Comorbidities In Refugees
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
There is a major translational gap in rolling out psychotherapeutic treatments into readily accessible public health interventions for refugees. This project examines the feasibility and effectiveness of a technology-enhanced stepped psychological intervention designed to build resilience (Step 1) and manage traumatic stress symptoms and related comorbidities in traumatized refugees to ensure they have an enhanced capacity to adapt to the new environment post trauma.
Targeted Approaches To Improve Health Outcomes In Severe Respiratory Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
Despite receiving optimal treatment, people with severe lung disease experience distressing symptoms, reduced quality of life and wellbeing, and poor health outcomes. This transformational research will investigate new treatment approaches: an integrated palliative care program and Nasal High Flow therapy at home, to identify benefits for people with lung disease. Additionally this research will examine how patients’ attitudes to illness distress and mental health affect wellbeing and health
Trans20: A Longitudinal Cohort Study To Improve Outcomes For Transgender Children And Adolescents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,566,662.00
Summary
1% of young people now identify as transgender or gender diverse (TGD), and increasing numbers are presenting for specialist gender-affirming clinical care. This study will prospectively evaluate the health outcomes and well being of a large cohort of TGD children and adolescents who received such care. By doing so, this research will address critical knowledge gaps in this important and emerging area of health care so as to maximise health outcomes and minimise harm for this vulnerable group.