Evaluation Of Internet-based, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy For The Treatment Of Anxiety Disorders In Adolescents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$570,750.00
Summary
Anxiety disorders affect around 5-10% of adolescents and are associated with a range of adverse consequences if left untreated. The majority of young people with anxiety disorders do not seek nor receive treatment. This may be due partly to the perceived stigma of attending a mental health clinic and logistic problems of attending therapy. A challenge is to identify ways in which treatment can be made more accessible to adolescents in need, particularly those in rural and remote areas. Contrary ....Anxiety disorders affect around 5-10% of adolescents and are associated with a range of adverse consequences if left untreated. The majority of young people with anxiety disorders do not seek nor receive treatment. This may be due partly to the perceived stigma of attending a mental health clinic and logistic problems of attending therapy. A challenge is to identify ways in which treatment can be made more accessible to adolescents in need, particularly those in rural and remote areas. Contrary to original beliefs, evidence shows that the internet can be used to deliver effective psychological therapies for a range of mental health problems, including anxiety disorders. So far this research has focused on adults, but adolescents may be in a particularly strong position to benefit from these forms of therapy, being experienced users of internet resources. This research investigates the effectiveness of internet-based cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) in the treatment for anxiety disorders in adolescents. Recently we have piloted CBT for anxious children that combines clinic and internet therapy, with half the therapy sessions in the clinic and half over the internet. Pilot data show that clinic + internet therapy produced significant reductions in anxiety and is almost as effective full clinic-based therapy. The proposed research builds on our pilot work by evaluating the effectiveness of a more extensive internet-based therapy in which all sessions are completed using the internet and with an older age group. The research also examines the factors that predict which young people will respond most positively to the intervention so that the treatment can be matched to those most likely to benefit from it in the future. The aim is to develop an effective internet-based treatment for adolescents with anxiety disorders that is easily accessed and suitable for use in rural and remote populations, requiring minimal face-to-face therapist contact.Read moreRead less
Improving the efficiency of bovine oocyte maturation in vitro. For the dairy and beef industries, the hundreds of eggs (oocytes) in a high value cow's ovary that fail to produce a pregnancy are a wasted genetic resource. A key technology to unlocking this resource is in vitro maturation of oocytes, but the process is inefficient. One possible cause is that the current approaches to maturing oocytes in vitro do not adequately mimic the natural process in vivo. We will design new systems to matu ....Improving the efficiency of bovine oocyte maturation in vitro. For the dairy and beef industries, the hundreds of eggs (oocytes) in a high value cow's ovary that fail to produce a pregnancy are a wasted genetic resource. A key technology to unlocking this resource is in vitro maturation of oocytes, but the process is inefficient. One possible cause is that the current approaches to maturing oocytes in vitro do not adequately mimic the natural process in vivo. We will design new systems to mature cow oocytes in vitro by altering the chemical composition of maturation medium, thus improving the efficiency of laboratory embryo production and related technologies.Read moreRead less
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Is Calcium part of the mechanism used in glucose signalling in embryogenesis. A vital stage in the development of the embryo is formation of the blastocyst about 4 days after conception. For this to happen the embryo must receive glucose from the mother. We believe that rather being used by the embryo to generate energy, this glucose acts as a signal to switch on the developmental pathway leading to blastocyst formation. Without this signal there is no blastocyst and the pregnancy fails. The pr ....Is Calcium part of the mechanism used in glucose signalling in embryogenesis. A vital stage in the development of the embryo is formation of the blastocyst about 4 days after conception. For this to happen the embryo must receive glucose from the mother. We believe that rather being used by the embryo to generate energy, this glucose acts as a signal to switch on the developmental pathway leading to blastocyst formation. Without this signal there is no blastocyst and the pregnancy fails. The project investigates this signal mechanism. The results will advance understanding of the mechanisms regulating development and in particular link the mother's nutritive status to her fertility during very early pregnancy.Read moreRead less
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Subcellular co-localisation of interacting proteins that control maturation in mammalian eggs. The final maturation of mammalian eggs (oocytes) before fertilisation involves a cascade of interactions between protein kinases and phosphatases, the shuttling of these proteins between cytoplasm and nucleus, and microtubule assembly and disassembly. In this project we have proposed that interacting proteins involved in oocyte maturation are co-localised at subcellular sites in oocytes, in a strict t ....Subcellular co-localisation of interacting proteins that control maturation in mammalian eggs. The final maturation of mammalian eggs (oocytes) before fertilisation involves a cascade of interactions between protein kinases and phosphatases, the shuttling of these proteins between cytoplasm and nucleus, and microtubule assembly and disassembly. In this project we have proposed that interacting proteins involved in oocyte maturation are co-localised at subcellular sites in oocytes, in a strict temporal and spatial manner. The co-localisation of proteins in oocytes is considered a fundamental mechanism that ensures coordination of time-bound cellular events and proper preparation of oocytes for fertilisation and early embryo development. There are important implications for IVF and cloning by nuclear transfer.Read moreRead less