A Comparison Of An Integrated Psychological Intervention With 'befriending' In First-presentation Psychosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$356,113.00
Summary
The project aims to test the efficacy of two treatments to determine whether 'integrated' psychological treatment leads to better outcomes for those individuals presenting for treatment for the first time. Neuroleptic medication is the main treatment for the positive symptoms (i.e., delusions, hallucinations and thought disorder) which typify the psychoses, including schizophrenia. Yet, there are reasons why other approaches should be investigated. Firstly, not all patients respond to medication ....The project aims to test the efficacy of two treatments to determine whether 'integrated' psychological treatment leads to better outcomes for those individuals presenting for treatment for the first time. Neuroleptic medication is the main treatment for the positive symptoms (i.e., delusions, hallucinations and thought disorder) which typify the psychoses, including schizophrenia. Yet, there are reasons why other approaches should be investigated. Firstly, not all patients respond to medications. Secondly, medication may not totally alleviate the positive symptoms, and thirdly, other aspects of the condition are not helped to any extent by medication. These aspects include negative symptoms (e.g., lack of motivation and asociality), depression, social anxiety and functioning in the various life domains, e.g., school, work and socialization. In the last 15 years a viable psychological treatment known as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) has emerged. This appears to be effective in the treatment of hallucinations and delusions and has an effect over and above that produced by medication. However, such treatments have not yet been applied to treating those symptoms in first presentation psychotic patients when they are in the acute stage of their illness. It is important to determine whether CBT produces positive effects in this group and whether used in conjunction with medication it can produce greater and more rapid reductions in the level and severity of positive symptoms. Whilst CBT is expected to produce positive changes in delusions and hallucinations, the applicants believe this needs to be integrated with CBT interevention focussed on other aspects of a patient's presentation, such as negative and depressive symptoms, and also on improving functioning in various life domains.Read moreRead less
Visualisation Of Functionally Activated Circuitry In The Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$347,036.00
Summary
We are seeking to develop a method to precisely determine which parts of the brain are involved in the carrying out of different brain functions. The main advantage of our new method will be that we will be able to directly visualise the circuitry involved in a specified brain function. The brain is like a vast computer, with literally billions of connections between different parts, and it is these connections which are used to form functional circuits, which ultimately result in the brain cont ....We are seeking to develop a method to precisely determine which parts of the brain are involved in the carrying out of different brain functions. The main advantage of our new method will be that we will be able to directly visualise the circuitry involved in a specified brain function. The brain is like a vast computer, with literally billions of connections between different parts, and it is these connections which are used to form functional circuits, which ultimately result in the brain control of bodily function. Up until now, there has been no direct way of being able to directly visualise which of those billions of connections are involved in the formation of a circuit for any particular brain function. We plan to use a genetic approach to help to visualise functionally activated brain circuits. We know that some genes are turned on in the nerve cells which are activated during a brain function. We will use this knowledge to generate a new line of genetically engineered mice. In these mice, the genes which are turned on during brain activation will in turn be used to turn on special markers which will light up the activated circuits. This will be of great signficance in our understanding of brain function. It should also help us to understand what happens to these circuits in different diseases of the brain, such as following stroke, in senility, and Alzheimer's disease.Read moreRead less
Drinking Patterns, Gender And Social Roles In Alcohol Problems In Victoria, In An International Comparative Context
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$342,239.00
Summary
The varied impacts of drinking in the family and other gendered relations are an important and understudied aspect of alcohol studies, with general social and policy implications. The proposed research will make an important contribution to developing quantitative research in this area in Australia. The project uses concepts and measures which are novel in an Australian environment, and the international comparative aspect of the project, with comparable questionnaires in a wide diversity of soc ....The varied impacts of drinking in the family and other gendered relations are an important and understudied aspect of alcohol studies, with general social and policy implications. The proposed research will make an important contribution to developing quantitative research in this area in Australia. The project uses concepts and measures which are novel in an Australian environment, and the international comparative aspect of the project, with comparable questionnaires in a wide diversity of societies, is novel and innovative for the alcohol research field in general. Measures of social problems from drinking, and particularly and family and relationship, developed in analysing the study material will be made more broadly available for use in future studies, raising the possibility that the study may serve as a first measurement point for future data-series over time.Read moreRead less
Effects Of Lead And Socio-cultural Factors On Cognition And Behaviour Of Children In Port Pirie And Broken Hill
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$394,825.00
Summary
The effect of lead on children's 'intelligence' is controversial. Poorer IQ scores in children with higher exposure to lead, have been found reasonably consistently, - but there is disagreement on whether lead exposure is simply a common ASSOCIATE of poor IQ, or whether it actually CAUSES deficits. In 1994, the NHMRC prudently recommended a graded series of interventions to be implemented, depending on the proprtion of children in the community with blood lead concentrations in specific categori ....The effect of lead on children's 'intelligence' is controversial. Poorer IQ scores in children with higher exposure to lead, have been found reasonably consistently, - but there is disagreement on whether lead exposure is simply a common ASSOCIATE of poor IQ, or whether it actually CAUSES deficits. In 1994, the NHMRC prudently recommended a graded series of interventions to be implemented, depending on the proprtion of children in the community with blood lead concentrations in specific categories above 10 ug lead -100 ml of blood. The choice of this figure (10 ug-dl) was more pragmatic than scientific; there being very little data on the health effects of exposures below 10 ug-dl available at that time. A recent analysis of pooled data from past studies has now suggested there may be very large effects on child IQ at blood lead concentration BELOW 10 ug-dl. Health authorities will soon be lobbied intensely to spend vast sums on new lead abatement programs. Cities like Port Pirie and Broken Hill (where cooperative programs have achieved such significant reductions in lead exposure that a high percentage of their children now have blood lead levels below 10 ug-dl), will be forced to examine expensive options to avoid closure of the industries which provide their economic backbones, if this analysis proves to be correct. Our proposal argues that before committing to new and costly abatement programs, there is an urgent need to augment our evidence-base by conducting a new study ofchildren with lead exposures below 10 ug-dl, using more modern measures of intelligence. The study will pay closer attention to some of the socio-cultural and inherited determinants of child IQ which may have confounded the lead-IQ association in past studies, and will supplement IQ assessments (which are now considered to derive from a very old and narrow view of intelligence) with new tools for measuring 'intelligence' that may be less socio-culturally dependent.Read moreRead less
Living In A Rural Community: A Longitudinal Study Of The Course And Outcome Of Mental Health And Wellbeing.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$841,947.00
Summary
This unique rural Australian study will investigate individual, family and community factors associated with the mental health and wellbeing of residents in rural communities of New South Wales. It aims to identify factors that may maintain or promote mental health, thereby investigating the potential protective effect of community factors, as well as more proximal social factors (such as family-household attributes and responses) on dimensions of mental health and wellbeing among rural people.
Changing Heat: Direct Impacts Of Temperature On Health And Productivity - Current Risks And Climate Change Projections
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$277,915.00
Summary
We know that heatwaves kill people - some 50,000 died in the 2003 European heatwave - but little is known of the details. This project will discover those details, in three important dimensions: WHO is at risk, and where do they live; HOW are people at risk, e.g. from kidney failure; and just WHAT is it about heat that is most dangerous? We will then build mathematical models of the future risks, and explore what public health measures will best protect Australians in a warming climate.
Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Evaluation Of Childhood Anxiety And Depression: Pathways, Risk Factors And Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$333,055.00
Summary
Anxiety and depression are the most common forms of psychological distress affecting Australian children today. These disorders are seriously disabling and continuous across time. Therefore, it is very important to understand more about the onset and course of these disorders, and about factors which influence these disorders in either a positive or negative manner. There are three major goals for the current project. The first is to further our understanding of the development, maintenance, and ....Anxiety and depression are the most common forms of psychological distress affecting Australian children today. These disorders are seriously disabling and continuous across time. Therefore, it is very important to understand more about the onset and course of these disorders, and about factors which influence these disorders in either a positive or negative manner. There are three major goals for the current project. The first is to further our understanding of the development, maintenance, and amelioration of anxiety and depression in a child and youth population. The second is to understand the relationship between these two disorders in children and youth. The third is to use the acquired information to assist in the identification of optimal ages for preventive interventions, and to aid in the matching of interventions to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of children versus adolescents. This project aims to meet these goals through implementation of a controlled prevention trial. The aims fo the research are: 1. To examine the relationship between symptoms of anxiety and depresison in Australian children and youth 2. To gain valuable clinical information regarding the assessment and prevention of these disorders 3. To understand the risk and protective factors associated with these disorders, and the impact of these factors over time 4. To implement and evaluate a school-based prevention program The expected outcomes of the research are: 1. To acquire valuable information related to the onset and course of anxiety and depression in children and youth, and their associated risk and protective factors 2. To further development of more timely and targeted interventions for the prevention of anxiety and depression 4. To enhance the emotional resilience of participating children and prevent the onset of anxiety and depression 5. To promote Australian research by publishing the results of the project within the international research literatureRead moreRead less
Living In A Rural Community:determinants And Consequences Of Mental Health And Wellbeing.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$729,415.00
Summary
Th e proposed study will investigate individual, family and community factors associated with the mental health and wellbeing of residents in rural communties of NSW. It will also examine rural residents' perceptions of their mental health needs and their access and utilisation of health services. The study will be conducted in 3 rural Area Health Services in NSW (Greater Western,Hunter New England and North Coast) comprising 70% of the rural population of NSW. These health regions encompass rur ....Th e proposed study will investigate individual, family and community factors associated with the mental health and wellbeing of residents in rural communties of NSW. It will also examine rural residents' perceptions of their mental health needs and their access and utilisation of health services. The study will be conducted in 3 rural Area Health Services in NSW (Greater Western,Hunter New England and North Coast) comprising 70% of the rural population of NSW. These health regions encompass rural, remote and coastal NSW. We aim to conduct the mail and telephone survey on adults residing in 4000 households across the 3 regions. Unique aspects of the study include: i) Examination of a diverse range of rural communities which will provide the opportunity to investigate the influence and interaction of specific community characteristics on mental health. These community factors will include social and economic factors, severity of rural environmental stress (eg drought), and the levels of access to health and other services. ii) Focus on the household and its members so as to examine the mental health needs of family groups in rural communities. This cross-sectional study will form the baseline for a longitudinal study investigating the changes experienced by rural families over time and the impact of such change on mental health outcomes.Read moreRead less
Safe Koori Kids: Community Based Approaches To Indigenous Injury Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$671,905.00
Summary
The study will involve the development of an intervention targeting Indigenous children, schools and families and schools in urban environments. Specifically, over a three year period, the proposed research aims to: explore the incidence and impact of intentional and unintentional injury in selected urban Indigenous communities in NSW and identify factors contributing to positive and negative consequences relating to injury; develop and evaluate initiatives in Indigenous communities aimed at inc ....The study will involve the development of an intervention targeting Indigenous children, schools and families and schools in urban environments. Specifically, over a three year period, the proposed research aims to: explore the incidence and impact of intentional and unintentional injury in selected urban Indigenous communities in NSW and identify factors contributing to positive and negative consequences relating to injury; develop and evaluate initiatives in Indigenous communities aimed at increasing resiliency in at-risk children, youth and families; and make recommendations for changes to policy and practice across a range of government portfolios and non-government organisations. Injury, which has received almost no research attention among Indigenous populations, is the leading cause of death, illness and disability for young Australians with the burden of injury for Indigenous Australians significantly higher than for the non-Indigenous population. Indigenous children and youth are over-represented in both intentional (eg. suicide, domestic violence and abuse, assaults and self-harm) and unintentional (eg. burns, road injury, falls and drowning) injury statistics. The complexity of injury to Indigenous people and its 'downstream' impact on families and communities has been documented in recent studies and reports. Although Indigenous children and youth are particularly vulnerable to the impact of injury, there have been few studies that have documented the incidence and impact of injury on Indigenous children or which have offered sustainable and culturally acceptable solutions to the problem of injury. The proposed research focuses on the development of effective, sustainable and culturally acceptable interventions for Indigenous children and youth based on an Indigenous perspective.Read moreRead less