A Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Couple-based Program For The Transition To Parenthood.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$553,750.00
Summary
Couples who become parents face a very important and potentially very rewarding task: working together to raise their child. The current research evaluates the effects of a couple-based education program for people having their first child. The program helps couples develop realistic expectations about parenthood and effective ways of supporting each other as parents. The program also helps partners to understand and promote positive infant development, to enhance their couple communication, and ....Couples who become parents face a very important and potentially very rewarding task: working together to raise their child. The current research evaluates the effects of a couple-based education program for people having their first child. The program helps couples develop realistic expectations about parenthood and effective ways of supporting each other as parents. The program also helps partners to understand and promote positive infant development, to enhance their couple communication, and to promote a positive couple relationship while parenting. The program is offered through one face-to-face workshop held during the late stage of pregnancy, and then a home-based learning package consisting of a mix of videotaped information packages, reading and telephone based sessions with a psychologist. The overall aim is to produce an easily accessible support program for new parents that will enhance a couple's relationship with each other and their child. It is hoped this will reduce problems and enhance enjoyment of people becoming parents.Read moreRead less
Service Pathways For Ageing Caregivers Of Adults With Intellectual Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$143,613.00
Summary
Caregiving is demanding, but for most it is but a phase of life. This is not so for the 90,000 Australian parents caring for a lifetime for their adult son or daughter with intellectual disability. They are at significant risk from the physical and emotional consequences of long-term caring and the compounding effects of their own - and their son or daughter's - ageing. Despite this, these ageing parent caregivers typically do not use health and community services until a crisis occurs. Our goal ....Caregiving is demanding, but for most it is but a phase of life. This is not so for the 90,000 Australian parents caring for a lifetime for their adult son or daughter with intellectual disability. They are at significant risk from the physical and emotional consequences of long-term caring and the compounding effects of their own - and their son or daughter's - ageing. Despite this, these ageing parent caregivers typically do not use health and community services until a crisis occurs. Our goal is to ensure that ageing parent caregivers use health and community services appropriately and for these services to be appropriate to their needs. The proposed project therefore aims to identify the pathways that lead to or prevent ageing parent caregivers accessing services and to construct a model for ageing parent caregivers' involvement with services that could be tested with a randomised clinical trial. Narrative life history method will be used to determine how ageing parent caregivers arrived in their present circumstances and factors which influence the caring relationship, its stresses and rewards, and their experiences and views concerning services. Service providers will participate in focus groups to examine their perceptions and expectations of services for ageing parent caregivers. Characteristics of the study sample will be compared with state and national population benchmarks. The findings will inform our planned development of a multi-dimensional strategy to provide cost effective preventive health and community services for this largely neglected subgroup within the population of caregivers in Australia.Read moreRead less
Long-term Efficacy Of An Oral Health Promotion Program In The Prevention Of Early Childhood Caries.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$165,664.00
Summary
The aim of the project is to test the long-term efficacy of oral health promotion program, the purpose of which is to lower the prevalence of tooth decay among young children. Tooth decay affects approximately 1 in 6 children by age of 3 years and 1 in 2 children by age of 5 years. The disease negatively influences all aspects of quality of life of child. Tooth decay is associated with infection, pain, and frequent hospitalisation. The proposed project is a follow-up of an randomised controlled ....The aim of the project is to test the long-term efficacy of oral health promotion program, the purpose of which is to lower the prevalence of tooth decay among young children. Tooth decay affects approximately 1 in 6 children by age of 3 years and 1 in 2 children by age of 5 years. The disease negatively influences all aspects of quality of life of child. Tooth decay is associated with infection, pain, and frequent hospitalisation. The proposed project is a follow-up of an randomised controlled trial (RCT), which started with enrolment of pregnant women. They were randomised into the test and control groups. Mothers in test group received 3 round of preventive oral health information in the form of anticipatory guidance, the first round at enrolment, the second and third at 6, 12 months of age of child respectively. The information was mailed to their home address. All children were examined at age of 20 months of age. The children in the test group had lower prevalence of tooth decay compared to children in control group, (test group 1,7%, control group 9.6%). While the oral health information was effective in preventing decay at 20 months, longer-term follow-up is highly desirable. Therefore, we plan to follow-up the oral health of the children at 5 - 6 years old. It is anticipated, that 75% mothers from the trial will be contactable and will continue with their participation in the study. A third comparative group of children at the same age will be drawn from database of the South Australian School Dental Services to check if the children in the trial are representative of all SA school children. All children will be examined by dentists or school dental therapists after they enter school. The prevalence of the tooth decay and its mangement will be examined and compared among children from test and control groups and children from community.Read moreRead less
Prevention Of Childhood Anxiety: A Parent-focused Approach, Targeting The School Transition
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$60,220.00
Summary
The prevention of mental health problems in young people warrants research. Anxiety is a common problem amongst children, resulting in academic and relationship difficulties across the lifespan. The project investigates the effectiveness of an anxiety prevention strategy designed to optimise school adjustment in anxious and withdrawn preschool aged children making the transition to formal schooling. The intervention is parent-focused. Parents will be taught anxiety management strategies. They wi ....The prevention of mental health problems in young people warrants research. Anxiety is a common problem amongst children, resulting in academic and relationship difficulties across the lifespan. The project investigates the effectiveness of an anxiety prevention strategy designed to optimise school adjustment in anxious and withdrawn preschool aged children making the transition to formal schooling. The intervention is parent-focused. Parents will be taught anxiety management strategies. They will also be taught to decrease the use of overprotective or threat communicative responses, to model and reinforce non-anxious behaviour, and to coach children in active problem solving. The prevention of childhood anxiety will have important cost savings in the long term, relating to reduction in the costs associated with school adjustment difficulties and mental health treatments for children, as well as reductions in distress amongst individuals and their families. If the present program proves successful with children at risk of anxiety, it may have the potential to be offered within the education system as a universal transitional program.Read moreRead less
A Parent Education And Skills Training Intervention For Young Adolescents With Autism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$436,500.00
Summary
Autism is a most severe and prevalent lifelong developmental disorder affecting approximately one in every thousand children and their families. Autism is associated with personal suffering and is a significant burden and stress for parents, families and carers and cost to the community. In earlier work we have demonstrated that providing a structured program of parent education and guidance to families with preschool children with autism leads to improved parental adjustment and mental health. ....Autism is a most severe and prevalent lifelong developmental disorder affecting approximately one in every thousand children and their families. Autism is associated with personal suffering and is a significant burden and stress for parents, families and carers and cost to the community. In earlier work we have demonstrated that providing a structured program of parent education and guidance to families with preschool children with autism leads to improved parental adjustment and mental health. The program also led to behavioural and developmental benefits for the child. The early secondary school years bring further stress and difficulty to adolescents with autism and their families. This project aims to assess the effectiveness of a parent education and training program for parents with autistic adolescents aged 12-14 years. If shown to be effective, this manual based intervention can be readily used by professionals to promote parent mental health, family adjustment and improve the wellbeing and outcome for adolescents with autism. As a result, family stress and the necessity of out of home care may be reduced and school participation improved.Read moreRead less
Relationship Between Caregiver Time And Mental Health&well-being Of Mothers Caring For Children With Chronic Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$355,127.00
Summary
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has calculated that the dollar value of unpaid caring labour is approximately double the total (monetary) welfare service expenditure in Australia. Furthermore, most authorities predict that the need for informal care will grow as the population ages and as government policies continue to emphasize de-institutionalisation and care in the community. A significant group of these informal caregivers are mothers caring for children with chronic disabili ....The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has calculated that the dollar value of unpaid caring labour is approximately double the total (monetary) welfare service expenditure in Australia. Furthermore, most authorities predict that the need for informal care will grow as the population ages and as government policies continue to emphasize de-institutionalisation and care in the community. A significant group of these informal caregivers are mothers caring for children with chronic disabilities. These mothers have long been known to have higher rates of psychosocial problems than other mothers. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which these problems arise. This is a significant omission, as the potential benefit of home-based care for children with chronic disabilities will only be realised if caregivers remain healthy. It seems unlikely that caregivers will be able to provide effective care for children if their own health has been compromised by the demands of caring for the children's disabilities. The present study will provide new information about the relationship between the caregiving time mothers must spend caring for children with chronic disability, and maternal psychological adjustment and health-related quality of life. A better understanding of the mechanisms which give rise to maternal psychosocial problems in this population is important for two reasons. First, information in this area is an essential prerequisite for the development of effective support to reduce the problems experienced by primary caregivers and ensure they can play an effective ongoing role in the care of children with chronic disability. Second, at a theoretical level there is a great need to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which environmental stressors give rise to mental health problems, particularly depression, in the general population.Read moreRead less
Management Of Overweight Pre-pubertal Children - A Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$407,300.00
Summary
Obesity is an increasingly common problem in the Australian community, affecting both adults and children. Up to 1 in 4 Australian children are overweight or obese, making it one of the most common chronic disorders in this age-group. Obesity in childhood is associated with such complications as high blood pressure, risk of diabetes, high cholesterol levels, hip, knee and ankle problems, and psychological distress. Given the impact of overweight and obesity on the health of children, how can it ....Obesity is an increasingly common problem in the Australian community, affecting both adults and children. Up to 1 in 4 Australian children are overweight or obese, making it one of the most common chronic disorders in this age-group. Obesity in childhood is associated with such complications as high blood pressure, risk of diabetes, high cholesterol levels, hip, knee and ankle problems, and psychological distress. Given the impact of overweight and obesity on the health of children, how can it be best treated? Surprisingly, there is little information available to guide the management of this common problem. In this study we will test the hypothesis that the addition of a parent skills training program will significantly increase the effectiveness of a diet-activity program designed to reduce weight in overweight 6 to 9-year-olds. Children enrolled in the study will receive one of two interventions (i) parenting + activity-diet or (ii) diet-activity. Parents in the parenting intervention will participate in a parenting skills training program (Triple P) preceding the diet-activity program. Triple P comprises four 2-hour weekly group sessions and four, 15 minute follow-up phone calls which will focus on the skills and strategies required to supervise lifestyle changes. The diet-activity program comprises 8 group sessions for parents over a 5 month period on specific dietary and activity changes and simultaneous structured activity sessions for the children. Success will be judged in several ways. Over a 2 year period, we will monitor the child's weight, self-esteem, sense of well-being, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. We will also monitor the family's functioning and the parents' parenting skills and sense of efficacy. Results from the study should allow us to determine which treatment approach for management of childhood obesity is the most appropriate to be established in community settings.Read moreRead less
A New Approach To Curbing Risky Trajectories Of Adolescent Alcohol-tobacco Use: A Tailored Brief Program For Parents.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,271.00
Summary
Parent-adolescent interactions predict adolescent involvement in alcohol and tobacco use, and parent-oriented programs reduce conduct problems. Nevertheless, parent training is a rare alcohol-tobacco-related prevention strategy. This research will evaluate a brief parent program for adolescents at risk of escalating alcohol-tobacco problems. The technology should be cost-effective and readily complement existing school prevention strategies.
Impact Of An Infant Sleep Intervention On Infant Sleep And Maternal Wellbeing: A Cluster Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$205,500.00
Summary
Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression are common in the Australian community. Over a third of Australians report a problem with their infant's sleep in the second six months of life whilst 10-15% of Australian women will experience an episode of depression in the first year after their child is born. Both infant sleep problems and postnatal depression have been associated with serious outcomes including child abuse, child behaviour problems, maternal physical and emotional problems, fam ....Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression are common in the Australian community. Over a third of Australians report a problem with their infant's sleep in the second six months of life whilst 10-15% of Australian women will experience an episode of depression in the first year after their child is born. Both infant sleep problems and postnatal depression have been associated with serious outcomes including child abuse, child behaviour problems, maternal physical and emotional problems, family stress and family breakdown. This study builds on previous work conducted by researchers at the Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. In this work, a brief behavioural intervention significantly decreased infant sleep problems and symptoms of maternal depression, particularly for depressed mothers. The intervention consisted of controlled crying and removal of sleep associations such as a dummy which the infant had become dependent upon to fall asleep. Mothers who received the intervention reported 20% fewer sleep problems and a 45% reduction in depression symptoms compared with mothers who did not receive the intervention. The interention also improved maternal sleep quality and quantity and reduced the need for professional sleep services. It was acceptable to mothers, of low cost and was minimally disruptive to families - in contrast to many current strategies directed primarily at postnatal depression. This trial aims to determine whther a similar intervention delivered by Victorian Maternal and Child health nurses within their usual practice settings can replicate these important benefits.Read moreRead less