Psychosocial and mental health policy in countries emerging from conflict and natural disaster: analysis of policy and program responses. International donor involvement in psychosocial and mental health policy and programming in complex emergencies has been plagued with controversy. With this project, Australian researchers will help build a much needed evidence base for psychosocial and mental health policy formulation and implementation. It will specifically enhance programming responses in ....Psychosocial and mental health policy in countries emerging from conflict and natural disaster: analysis of policy and program responses. International donor involvement in psychosocial and mental health policy and programming in complex emergencies has been plagued with controversy. With this project, Australian researchers will help build a much needed evidence base for psychosocial and mental health policy formulation and implementation. It will specifically enhance programming responses in conflict- and disaster-affected countries of the Asia-Pacific region, where Australia is devoting considerable resources and attention. Better insights into policy processes and the transferability of experience will maximise Australia's response and operational effectiveness, and will have immediate relevance in Tsunami affected areas.Read moreRead less
Model of care: A family focussed approach to promote child protection. Childhood neglect and abuse is an issue for all Australians. Models of best practice for child protection services are essential to protect the well-being of these children. This project will draw upon information from consumers and workers to provide a framework for a sustainable model of best practice for child protection that is transferable to other settings. A further benefit of this study is that it will provide insight ....Model of care: A family focussed approach to promote child protection. Childhood neglect and abuse is an issue for all Australians. Models of best practice for child protection services are essential to protect the well-being of these children. This project will draw upon information from consumers and workers to provide a framework for a sustainable model of best practice for child protection that is transferable to other settings. A further benefit of this study is that it will provide insight into occupation health and safety issues associated with working in long term relationships with vulnerable families. Read moreRead less
Cluster randomised control trial of an early childhood literacy intervention to improve literacy and language outcomes in preschool aged children. Reading failure disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities in Australia, with nearly 40% of poor children failing to read at the minimum reading benchmark in Grade three. Of more concern is the disturbing trend indicating that prior to first grade, socioeconomic status (SES) differences also exist in important antecedents of reading such as ....Cluster randomised control trial of an early childhood literacy intervention to improve literacy and language outcomes in preschool aged children. Reading failure disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities in Australia, with nearly 40% of poor children failing to read at the minimum reading benchmark in Grade three. Of more concern is the disturbing trend indicating that prior to first grade, socioeconomic status (SES) differences also exist in important antecedents of reading such as letter knowledge and phonological processing skills, yet there remains no universal program to promote early language and literacy practices in the primary care setting. We propose a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of a multi injection intervention to improve literacy outcomes of children in disadvantaged communities.Read moreRead less
An evaluation of concerns, self-perceived needs, and supportive interventions, for informal cancer carers: A comparative study of female and male carers. Informal cancer carers experience high levels of anxiety, depression, and unmet support needs, with women carers at higher risk than men. However, little is known about the factors underlying this gender difference, and existing support services have not specifically targeted the needs of female and male cancer carers. This study will explore t ....An evaluation of concerns, self-perceived needs, and supportive interventions, for informal cancer carers: A comparative study of female and male carers. Informal cancer carers experience high levels of anxiety, depression, and unmet support needs, with women carers at higher risk than men. However, little is known about the factors underlying this gender difference, and existing support services have not specifically targeted the needs of female and male cancer carers. This study will explore the concerns, self-perceived needs, and psychological wellbeing of informal cancer carers living in New South Wales, comparing the experiences of female and male carers, at different stages of the care-giving journey. Based on these findings, a program of targeted supportive interventions will be developed, and then systematically evaluated within a controlled trial.Read moreRead less
Pharmaceutical Promotion: Productive or Problematic? Pharmaceutical promotion is an issue of importance for all Australians. Pharmaceuticals are central to maintaining the health of Australians and with factors such as an ageing population and technological advances the centrality of pharmaceuticals is likely to be consolidated. A major future challenge will be how to provide pharmaceuticals efficiently, equitably and sustainably. Problematic pharmaceutical promotion such as 'disease-mongering' ....Pharmaceutical Promotion: Productive or Problematic? Pharmaceutical promotion is an issue of importance for all Australians. Pharmaceuticals are central to maintaining the health of Australians and with factors such as an ageing population and technological advances the centrality of pharmaceuticals is likely to be consolidated. A major future challenge will be how to provide pharmaceuticals efficiently, equitably and sustainably. Problematic pharmaceutical promotion such as 'disease-mongering' potentially compromises PBS efficiency and threatens sustainability. The proposed project represents a significant empirical contribution to understanding the impact of pharmaceutical promotion on the PBS and will make a significant contribution towards making the PBS sustainableRead moreRead less
Multiple perspectives on sexuality and intimacy post-cancer, leading to the development and evaluation of supportive interventions. In 2006, over 106,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia, impacting on the quality of life of patients and their partners. A significant proportion of couples report cessation of sexual and intimate contact post-cancer, resulting in considerable distress. To date, there has been no examination of this important health concern across a broad range of can ....Multiple perspectives on sexuality and intimacy post-cancer, leading to the development and evaluation of supportive interventions. In 2006, over 106,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia, impacting on the quality of life of patients and their partners. A significant proportion of couples report cessation of sexual and intimate contact post-cancer, resulting in considerable distress. To date, there has been no examination of this important health concern across a broad range of cancer types, from the perspective of patients and their partners. Equally, support services rarely address sexuality issues post-cancer. This project will benefit people with cancer and their partners through examining pathways to distress, and developing programs to facilitate re-negotiation of sexuality and intimacy, post-cancer.Read moreRead less
A Model of Integrated Care for Dependant Older People Living in the Community. This research offers significant economic, health and social benefits. Promoting and maintaining good health and ageing well, ageing productively are national priority areas. Case management and telemedicine are both recognised strategies to support chronic disease self-management. Early intervention can offer significant benefits in morbidity and mortality. Enhanced service delivery using an integrated model encompas ....A Model of Integrated Care for Dependant Older People Living in the Community. This research offers significant economic, health and social benefits. Promoting and maintaining good health and ageing well, ageing productively are national priority areas. Case management and telemedicine are both recognised strategies to support chronic disease self-management. Early intervention can offer significant benefits in morbidity and mortality. Enhanced service delivery using an integrated model encompassing general practitioners, practice nurses and community carers, could improve chronic and complex disease management and reduce health costs.Read moreRead less
The emotional and social burden of caring for a young child with complex health needs. The National Agenda for Early Childhood and the Stronger Families and Community Strategy provide a framework for achieving efficient and effective outcomes in early childhood. This project will contribute to those strategies by gaining an understanding of the currently unknown issues faced by the group of families of young infants and children with complex health needs in a variety of geographic, community and ....The emotional and social burden of caring for a young child with complex health needs. The National Agenda for Early Childhood and the Stronger Families and Community Strategy provide a framework for achieving efficient and effective outcomes in early childhood. This project will contribute to those strategies by gaining an understanding of the currently unknown issues faced by the group of families of young infants and children with complex health needs in a variety of geographic, community and service settings, and the government supported services required. The identification of risk and resilience factors will enable the early detection of children at 'high-risk' and provide the opportunity to implement preventative and early intervention programs.Read moreRead less
Meeting the needs of cancer support group leaders. Social support plays a pivotal role in the psychological adjustment of people with cancer. Support groups provide unique input, but their outcomes are reliant on the quality and sustainability of the leaders. Internationally, little is known about the challenges and unmet needs of cancer support group leaders, or how to best support them. This study will:
a) clarify the needs of cancer group leaders
b) design and evaluate two interventions (mi ....Meeting the needs of cancer support group leaders. Social support plays a pivotal role in the psychological adjustment of people with cancer. Support groups provide unique input, but their outcomes are reliant on the quality and sustainability of the leaders. Internationally, little is known about the challenges and unmet needs of cancer support group leaders, or how to best support them. This study will:
a) clarify the needs of cancer group leaders
b) design and evaluate two interventions (minimal and intense) to meet the needs of leaders.
If successful, this study will provide the evidence on which cancer organizations around the world can base interventions to sustain cancer support group leaders and thus hopefully improve psychological outcomes for cancer patients and their carers.Read moreRead less
The perinatal journey: the process and impact of psychosocial assessment. This study of the process and impact of psychosocial assessment and depression screening during pregnancy and after birth will have immediate national application and benefit as Australian governments prepare policy to implement universal psychosocial assessment. Findings will provide evidence-based approaches to assessment and service delivery impacting positively on large numbers of Australian women who use maternity and ....The perinatal journey: the process and impact of psychosocial assessment. This study of the process and impact of psychosocial assessment and depression screening during pregnancy and after birth will have immediate national application and benefit as Australian governments prepare policy to implement universal psychosocial assessment. Findings will provide evidence-based approaches to assessment and service delivery impacting positively on large numbers of Australian women who use maternity and early childhood nursing services. Most importantly, skillful early identification of women in distress or 'at risk' is the first step in providing appropriate services and support to ensure better child outcomes. The research will be at the cutting edge internationally and directly addresses National Research Priorities.Read moreRead less