Early puberty and brain development: exploring the neurobiology of adolescent mental health. Pubertal-onset mental disorders are the largest contributor to later adult mental disorders. However, compared to other phases of development, puberty and its disorders remain poorly understood. This study, by examining the neurobiological consequences of early exposure to puberty, will enhance our understanding of these pubertal risk processes.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0239381
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
Sleep-wake problems in people without primary sleep disorders. Portable sleep recording equipment will enable research to be conducted on sleep wake issues in people under a variety of conditions; such as those arising from substance intake (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine), life stage (menopause, elderly), developmental disorders (intellectual disability, autism, fragile X, ADHD) and other syndromes (chronic pain, depression). This is of particular significance given that sleep problems can cause ....Sleep-wake problems in people without primary sleep disorders. Portable sleep recording equipment will enable research to be conducted on sleep wake issues in people under a variety of conditions; such as those arising from substance intake (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine), life stage (menopause, elderly), developmental disorders (intellectual disability, autism, fragile X, ADHD) and other syndromes (chronic pain, depression). This is of particular significance given that sleep problems can cause daytime sleepiness, fatigue, poor vigilance, lack of attention, negative mood and poor memory. The establishment of this cross-institutional collaborative facility will permit ongoing scientific investigation of such sleep-wake issues with beneficial health and safety implications for community.Read moreRead less
Whether social media literacy mitigates effects of social media in adolescents. This project aims to determine protective and risk factors for problems associated with social media use in early adolescents. In particular, it aims to determine the protective role of social media literacy (the skill to analyse, critique and evaluate social media posts). Although most Australian adolescents use social media, frequent social media engagement and photo-based activities can cause body dissatisfaction, ....Whether social media literacy mitigates effects of social media in adolescents. This project aims to determine protective and risk factors for problems associated with social media use in early adolescents. In particular, it aims to determine the protective role of social media literacy (the skill to analyse, critique and evaluate social media posts). Although most Australian adolescents use social media, frequent social media engagement and photo-based activities can cause body dissatisfaction, disordered eating and compromised well-being. Findings supporting a protective role for social media literacy are expected to inform policy to improve adolescent well-being and pave the way for school-based social media literacy interventions.Read moreRead less
The effects of maternal attachment, marital satisfaction and sensitivity to infants on infants attachment and adjustment: A longitudinal-structural equation study. This study will examine how family and attachment factors effect the adjustment of infant at 24 months of age. A longitudinal study, using structural equation method, will examine how maternal attachment and marital satisfaction when infants are 4 months of age will effect maternal parenting behaviors two months later, and how all thr ....The effects of maternal attachment, marital satisfaction and sensitivity to infants on infants attachment and adjustment: A longitudinal-structural equation study. This study will examine how family and attachment factors effect the adjustment of infant at 24 months of age. A longitudinal study, using structural equation method, will examine how maternal attachment and marital satisfaction when infants are 4 months of age will effect maternal parenting behaviors two months later, and how all three of these measures will effect infant attachment 6 months later. It will then examine how all four of these measures will effect the adjustment of infants 12 months later. The study will have important implications for early intervention and prevention of psychological problems in infants and children.Read moreRead less
Brain development during adolescence and the emergence of depression: A longitudinal MRI study. Traditionally mental health services have focused on established disorders. Whilst significant gains in outcomes have been obtained in other areas of health by focusing on early intervention and prevention, in the mental health field this approach has been limited by the inability to predict who is likely to go on to develop serious mental disorder. This study will provide critical information for und ....Brain development during adolescence and the emergence of depression: A longitudinal MRI study. Traditionally mental health services have focused on established disorders. Whilst significant gains in outcomes have been obtained in other areas of health by focusing on early intervention and prevention, in the mental health field this approach has been limited by the inability to predict who is likely to go on to develop serious mental disorder. This study will provide critical information for understanding the risk processes that are operating during the critical phase of early adolescence, and will therefore make a fundamental contribution to our understanding of who, and what, to target in early intervention and prevention strategies.Read moreRead less
Genes, neuroanatomy and family process: Predicting adolescent anxiety and depression. Whilst significant gains in outcomes have been obtained in other areas of health by focusing on early intervention and prevention, in the mental health field this approach has been limited by the paucity of developmentally targeted treatment and prevention strategies. This study will provide unique information regarding the risk processes that are operating during early and late adolescence, and will inform us ....Genes, neuroanatomy and family process: Predicting adolescent anxiety and depression. Whilst significant gains in outcomes have been obtained in other areas of health by focusing on early intervention and prevention, in the mental health field this approach has been limited by the paucity of developmentally targeted treatment and prevention strategies. This study will provide unique information regarding the risk processes that are operating during early and late adolescence, and will inform us about how the family environment can act to modulate the impacts of biological vulnerability on risk for mental disorder. This project will contribute to our understanding of who, and what, to target in early intervention and prevention strategies.Read moreRead less
Narrative Social Influence: Narrative Communication as an Effective Means of Public Health Campaign. Mass media has been used for public health campaigns with varying degrees of success. This project aims to improve their effectiveness in modifying public attitudes and behaviour to reduce the risk of life style diseases such as cancer, stroke, and heart disease. In particular, the project investigates the effectiveness of narrative as a means of social influence by examining whether it can effec ....Narrative Social Influence: Narrative Communication as an Effective Means of Public Health Campaign. Mass media has been used for public health campaigns with varying degrees of success. This project aims to improve their effectiveness in modifying public attitudes and behaviour to reduce the risk of life style diseases such as cancer, stroke, and heart disease. In particular, the project investigates the effectiveness of narrative as a means of social influence by examining whether it can effectively communicate an appropriate health promoting behaviour to the public, while encouraging people to disseminate the message to others interpersonally, so that not only mass media but also the community itself acts as an agent of social influence.Read moreRead less
Resilience and vulnerability in children with seriously ill siblings. Families of seriously ill children face heavy emotional and practical stresses. Behavioural, emotional and social problems are potential outcomes for the well children in the family, with a range of personal and familial factors likely mediators. The aim of this research is to assess factors associated with resilience and vulnerability among siblings of seriously ill children with a view to informing the work of the Carenet or ....Resilience and vulnerability in children with seriously ill siblings. Families of seriously ill children face heavy emotional and practical stresses. Behavioural, emotional and social problems are potential outcomes for the well children in the family, with a range of personal and familial factors likely mediators. The aim of this research is to assess factors associated with resilience and vulnerability among siblings of seriously ill children with a view to informing the work of the Carenet organization. A survey of parents and well siblings of ill children, plus interviews with target families, will be conducted. Proposed outcomes include a scholarly thesis and a practical booklet of coping resources for families.Read moreRead less
The cognitive neuroscience of executive control: behavioural, physiological and genetic mechanisms. How genes influence our human abilities to think, reason and control behaviour has puzzled scientists for decades. The human genome project has allowed us to ask how individual genes influence these capacities. Understanding the genetics of these abilities provides a solid platform from which to launch gene discovery projects in clinical disorders where these abilities are compromised. The curr ....The cognitive neuroscience of executive control: behavioural, physiological and genetic mechanisms. How genes influence our human abilities to think, reason and control behaviour has puzzled scientists for decades. The human genome project has allowed us to ask how individual genes influence these capacities. Understanding the genetics of these abilities provides a solid platform from which to launch gene discovery projects in clinical disorders where these abilities are compromised. The current project is directly relevant to the genetics of mental disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD), that place a large burden, both financially and emotionally, on our society. Understanding the genes and biological pathways that increase risk for mental disorders will ultimately lead to improved treatments for these conditions.Read moreRead less
The etiology of social anxiety and its impact on development across the lifespan. Social anxiety is a distressing early-onset disorder often associated with other psychiatric conditions in later life. This study will extend our previous work that has identified factors associated with its onset. We propose that these factors and the social anxiety itself may disrupt psychosocial development, at the time of onset, and throughout the lifespan. We aim to investigate these innovative hypotheses thro ....The etiology of social anxiety and its impact on development across the lifespan. Social anxiety is a distressing early-onset disorder often associated with other psychiatric conditions in later life. This study will extend our previous work that has identified factors associated with its onset. We propose that these factors and the social anxiety itself may disrupt psychosocial development, at the time of onset, and throughout the lifespan. We aim to investigate these innovative hypotheses through a sequence of three studies, with adults, children and adolescents. The results will inform prevention and early intervention regimes, thereby reducing both the incidence of social anxiety and the burden of the disorder.Read moreRead less