Suicide Ideation, Attempts, Help-seeking Behaviour And Compliance Within The Gold Coast District
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$111,320.00
Summary
In response to increasing suicide rates in Australia, and abroad, the Australian Government has embraced a nationally coordinated approach to suicide prevention. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy identifies the need for suicide prevention efforts that are based on research evidence. The Australia Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, in cooperation with the World Health Organisation, is planning to undertake a study to examine suicidal behaviour in the community. Specifically the ....In response to increasing suicide rates in Australia, and abroad, the Australian Government has embraced a nationally coordinated approach to suicide prevention. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy identifies the need for suicide prevention efforts that are based on research evidence. The Australia Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, in cooperation with the World Health Organisation, is planning to undertake a study to examine suicidal behaviour in the community. Specifically the study will focus on two areas: (a) the willingness of people who displaying suicidal behaviour to seek help and reasons why some people do not seek help, and (b) The compliance with medical treatment among people who seek help following an attempted suicide and the reasons why some of these people do not comply with medical advice. 15,000 people who permanently reside in the Gold Coast Health District will be telephoned at random and asked to participate in the study. Eligible people who agree to participate will be mailed a paper questionnaire. The data gathered in the duty will be examined to gain greater insight into what happens to people following the development or suicidal behaviour. Pilot studies have already revealed that 15% of people in the Gold Coast District have thought about suicide at some time in their lives and as many as 5% have attempted suicide. It is hoped that this study will provide valuable information that can help design more effective suicide prevention programs.Read moreRead less
Assessment And Prevention Of The Early Signs Of Anxiety And Depression In Children.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$149,363.00
Summary
Anxiety and depression are common mental health problems and children rate them as their most common emotional problems. Recent research has indicated that brief psychotherapy programs are effective in reducing these problems in 8 to 14 year olds, however, the earliest signs of these problems are detectable in the preschool years. Thus there is an urgent need for adequately evaluated community prevention programs to address the promotion of sound mental health in much younger children. The aim o ....Anxiety and depression are common mental health problems and children rate them as their most common emotional problems. Recent research has indicated that brief psychotherapy programs are effective in reducing these problems in 8 to 14 year olds, however, the earliest signs of these problems are detectable in the preschool years. Thus there is an urgent need for adequately evaluated community prevention programs to address the promotion of sound mental health in much younger children. The aim of this study is to conduct a comprehensive controlled trial of a community based programme for the detection and prevention of early signs of internalising disorders (i.e., shyness, fears and anxiety, depression). It is hypothesised that by intervening when children are young with the aim of improving parent-child interaction patterns, children will be steered towards a more competent and resilient approach to life. The study consists of three major components. First, we will evaluate the psychometric properties and predictive validity of the best available measures of teachers', parents' and children's' perceptions of the child's adjustment status. Second, we will follow-up the full cohort of preschool children to test which combination of the measures best predicts internalising disorders after 2 years. Third, we will conduct a controlled trial with a sample of the larger cohort to evaluate the effects of a brief parent and teacher training programme on children's adjustment. The major questions of this project are: a) Can we successfully identify children in a community preschool setting and under the age of 6 who are at risk of developing internalizing disorders? b) What assessment measures are the most reliable and valid predictors of the development of internalising disorders in this age group? c) What are the short-term and medium-term effects of a parent and teacher prevention program on children stratified according to risk for internalising disorders?Read moreRead less