Does The Treatment Of Anxiety In Children With ADHD Improve Outcomes? A Large-scale Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$854,630.00
Summary
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects 5% of Australian children. Up to 64% of children with ADHD experience impairing anxiety, which is associated with higher levels of ADHD symptoms and poorer quality of life. This randomised controlled trial will determine whether treating anxiety in children with ADHD improves outcomes.
Preconception Predictors Of Health, Behaviour And Emotional Adjustment At Seven Years
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,170,830.00
Summary
An understanding of the importance of a healthy start to life has underpinned major health policies including Australia’s National Agenda for Early Childhood. The capacity of parents to provide that healthy start has received little study. The present project investigates the extent to which parental lifestyle, social and emotional adjustment prior to conception predictor emotional problems, disruptive behaviour and health in their children at seven years.
A Randomised Trial Of The Augmentation Of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy With Fluoxetine For Anxious School Refusing Youth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$539,191.00
Summary
School refusing youth consistently suffer from anxiety and sometimes depression. They become severely emotionally distressed when taken to school and experience social and academic difficulties in the short and long term as well as psychiatric illness in adulthood. Our program investigates whether treatment can be improved by enhancing psychotherapy (cognitive behaviour therapy) which helps over half of anxious school refusing children, with antidepressant-anxiety medication compared to placebo.
The Impact Of Befriending On Depression, Anxiety, Social Support And Loneliness In Older Adults Living In Residential Aged Care Facilities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$661,872.00
Summary
About half of people living in residential aged care facilities may have significant depression symptoms. Many residents are socially isolated in RACFs even though they are in communal living, and social isolation is a contributor to depression. We propose a trial of befriending which is emotional and social support from trained volunteers. Volunteers will be trained using Beyondblue resources and a manual developed by the investigators.
Closing The Gap: Early Childhood Sustained Home Visiting For Families Of Aboriginal Infants In An Urban Community
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,244,402.00
Summary
The study aims to determine whether a sustained structured nurse home visiting (SSNVH) program is effective for Aboriginal families. In the context of increased government investment in home visiting programs for Indigenous children, this study will help to answer three critical questions: (1) Does SSNHV result in improved outcomes for Aboriginal infants? (2) Is SSNHV equally effective for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal infants?(3) What are the issues in adaptation and implementation?
The Effect Of Stress And Hypercortisolaemia On Limbic Epileptogenesis & Affective Disorder.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,714.00
Summary
This project has the potential to provide novel insights about the causal connections between stress, psychiatric illness (specifically anxiety and depression) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) - the most common form of medical refractory epilepsy in the community. Up to 50% of patients with TLE suffer from anxiety and-or depression. Until relatively recently it had been widely assumed that this was a consequence of the chronic epileptic condition. However, recent evidence suggests that there is ....This project has the potential to provide novel insights about the causal connections between stress, psychiatric illness (specifically anxiety and depression) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) - the most common form of medical refractory epilepsy in the community. Up to 50% of patients with TLE suffer from anxiety and-or depression. Until relatively recently it had been widely assumed that this was a consequence of the chronic epileptic condition. However, recent evidence suggests that there is a bi-directional relationship, with the psychiatric conditions and stress also acting to aggravate the seizures and even predispose to the development of the epilepsy itself. Apart from gaining insights into causes of TLE, anxiety and depression, this framework has potential public health relevance suggesting approaches to the eventual primary and secondary prevention of both MTLE and its associated psychiatric co-morbidities, a neglected area at present. The use of an animal model allows investigation of aetiological processes that extend over the lifetime, which is exceptionally difficult to achieve in humans. Retrospective studies, such as case-control studies, although an indispensable research methods, are subject to bias and imprecision when it comes to measuring remote past exposures to stress, abuse, and deprivation. If the results of these experiments are consistent with our hypotheses, a very strong case would exist for exploring this relationship in human studies. The data would also provide a strong rationale for more aggressive detection and treatment of these psychiatric co-morbidities in TLE patients, in order to potentially modify the progression of the disorder as well as improve the quality of life of sufferers. The results of intervention studies in animal models may suggest specific mode of treatment to achieve this.Read moreRead less
Predictors And Correlates Of Developmental Language Problems: A Longitudinal Study From Infancy To Pre-school Age
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$537,750.00
Summary
Language impairment is a disabling condition, thought to affect between 7% and 15% of 4 year old children. It has serious and lasting implications for social and emotional development, cognition, behaviour and literacy. A link has been demonstrated between language impairment and later psychiatric disorders in adolescence and adulthood. Given the potential of enhancing the language development of young children, it is critical that effective prevention and early intervention programs are availab ....Language impairment is a disabling condition, thought to affect between 7% and 15% of 4 year old children. It has serious and lasting implications for social and emotional development, cognition, behaviour and literacy. A link has been demonstrated between language impairment and later psychiatric disorders in adolescence and adulthood. Given the potential of enhancing the language development of young children, it is critical that effective prevention and early intervention programs are available. However, current knowledge is liminted in that there are no entirely satisfactory methods for detecting children who at much younger ages, 8 months, 12 months, 2 years and 3 years, are at risk of later impairment. In this study we aim to: examine the risk factors (many are thought to exist) that contribute to language impairment learn more about the natural history of this disabling disorder in children between 8 months and 4 years of age Ultimately, we aim to identify early signs that might warn health professionals and parents of language impairment so that such problems can be detected much earlier. Early identification will mean that help is available at an earlier age to children who currently go on to have persisting and extremely disabling language impairment.Read moreRead less
Determinants of children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a follow-up study from early childhood. This project investigates changes in preschool children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and influences on these changes, during the important period of transition to school. It will provide important information on how we might assist children to be more active, thereby avoiding the detrimental health and social outcomes of inactivity.
Childhood obesity, physical activity and wellbeing: Discovering the influence of children's understandings and experiences of places, spaces and communities. The study aims to discover 3-13 yr old children's understandings, perceptions & experiences of physical activity & associated places & spaces. Childhood obesity is a modern 'epidemic' & governments agree that low physical activity levels contribute significantly. Epidemiological & clinical research has been undertaken, but we lack Australia ....Childhood obesity, physical activity and wellbeing: Discovering the influence of children's understandings and experiences of places, spaces and communities. The study aims to discover 3-13 yr old children's understandings, perceptions & experiences of physical activity & associated places & spaces. Childhood obesity is a modern 'epidemic' & governments agree that low physical activity levels contribute significantly. Epidemiological & clinical research has been undertaken, but we lack Australian studies that systematically listen to & understand the pivotal voices of children themselves. Failure to develop such theoretically sound, practice-based understandings may mean ineffective interventions that misunderstand children's worlds. This collaborative study unites highly experienced researchers, practitioners & policy makers who will actively involve children in creating & using new knowledge.Read moreRead less