The Effects Of Treating Comorbid Social Phobia In Adults Who Stutter
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,245.00
Summary
Stuttering is a distressing and common speech disorder that prevents normal communication, hinders attainment of occupational potential, and can cause a lifetime of embarrassment and anxiety in everyday speaking situations. Around half of all adults who stutter have a condition called social phobia, which involves excessive anxiety in social situations. This is an important observation, because it is well known that treatments for adults who stutter are not particularly effective for some patien ....Stuttering is a distressing and common speech disorder that prevents normal communication, hinders attainment of occupational potential, and can cause a lifetime of embarrassment and anxiety in everyday speaking situations. Around half of all adults who stutter have a condition called social phobia, which involves excessive anxiety in social situations. This is an important observation, because it is well known that treatments for adults who stutter are not particularly effective for some patients. In this research project, we investigate the possibility that this is because existing treatments have not addressed the fact that many adults who stutter have levels of social anxiety in everyday speaking situations. In this experiment, half the subjects receive a standard treatment and the other half receive a standard treatment plus cognitive behaviour therapy designed to alleviate their social anxiety.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
The Efficacy Of A Peer-to-peer Online Support Group And An Automated Self-help Internet Intervention For Depression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$476,855.00
Summary
Depression is the leading cause of disability in Australia. Many people do not receive professional help and prefer self help methods to antidepressants or face to face therapy. A significant number turn to Internet support groups. The Internet also has great potential for offering self-guided automated web-based therapy. This research investigates whether Internet support groups and self-help web therapy are helpful treatments for depression.
Empowerment As A Strategy For Wellbeing In Indigenous Settings: Developing Tools To Systematically Evaluate Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,100.00
Summary
This project will add significant strength to one of Australia's key initiatives in the promotion of health and well-being, namely the Family Well Being Program . This program was developed by a group of Aboriginal people based in Adelaide in order to specifically address the effects of colonisation on the emotional health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. It is a nationally accredited course and has been delivered in a wide variety of settings and participating groups. Previous evaluatio ....This project will add significant strength to one of Australia's key initiatives in the promotion of health and well-being, namely the Family Well Being Program . This program was developed by a group of Aboriginal people based in Adelaide in order to specifically address the effects of colonisation on the emotional health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. It is a nationally accredited course and has been delivered in a wide variety of settings and participating groups. Previous evaluation using in-depth interviews, focus groups and course evaluation forms have revealed long lasting increases in participants' life skills and problem-solving capacity, thereby making them better able to help themselves and the young people around them to deal with emotions and life's challenges. Changes are particularly profound among individuals who have completed the full Four Stage Program (40 week course) and their families and communities. Up to now, the impact and outcome of the Family Well Being Program has not had a way of being objectively measured in the way that other health promotion programs have. This is partly due to the complexity of its aims; empowering people to take control of their lives, as opposed to trying to directly change behaviours that place them at risk of illness. It is also because the definition, pathway and results of becoming an empowered person, group and community are not completely understood and are likely to be expressed differently from one social and cultural group to another. This current project aims to gain a clearer understanding of the meaning, experience, outcomes and values people attach to empowerment; then use this information to design tools to help assess the effectiveness of programs that seek to stimulate empowerment. Activities will include further analysis of existing qualitative data, workshop discussions, piloting tools and implementing them within communities with ongoing Family Well Being programs.Read moreRead less
Urban Locational Disadvantage And Health: Compositional And Contextual Determinants
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$608,050.00
Summary
Research has shown that where you live can affect your health, with poorer areas tending to have lower levels of health. Relationships have also been found between an individual's income and their health. It is not clear, however, which has the greatest influence on health difference - characteristics of the areas themselves or the type of people living in the area. Recent research has suggested that the levels of social capital (that is, links between people, the amount of voluntary community a ....Research has shown that where you live can affect your health, with poorer areas tending to have lower levels of health. Relationships have also been found between an individual's income and their health. It is not clear, however, which has the greatest influence on health difference - characteristics of the areas themselves or the type of people living in the area. Recent research has suggested that the levels of social capital (that is, links between people, the amount of voluntary community activity, and the degree to which people trust others and civic institutions) has a significant impact on health. The nature of physical environments also has an impact on peoples' lives. The study will examine how the communities in which people live influence their health and will consider both aspects of the physical and social environments of areas, and their demographic composition. The research is in three stages. The first stage involves a telephone survey of residents of metropolitan Adelaide and includes questions about social capital, area of residence and health. Existing information about areas, such as crime rates, availability of services and air and water pollution, will be collected. The second stage involves detailed case studies of four suburbs in Adelaide, two of which are more affluent than average and two of which are poorer than average. These case studies will: catalogue the facilities available; survey a random sample of residents about their health, their participation in community activities and their perceptions of their area; talk about these issues in detail with residents in each area; and assess the quality of the physical environment. In the third stage, the findings of the research will be discussed with community members and key policy makers in state and local government to determine how communities can be best structured so that they support individuals' health status.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Trauma Related Anger And The Cycles Of Violence In Post Conflict Countries: A Follow Up Study In Timor Leste
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$560,618.00
Summary
Our 2004 East Timor study showed that men who suffered abuses remain angry. We will follow-up these men to see if those who remained angry were more likely to be involved in social unrest and violence. We will also find out what factors make angry men more likely to act violently. This study will provide information to help agencies assist men overcome anger to avoid future violence.
Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Mobile Preschool For Child Health And Development In Remote Aboriginal Communities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,369.00
Summary
This project is a retrospective study of the effectiveness of the NT Mobile Preschool Program using assessment data for children's emergent literacy, social and emotional competencies and health status. Effectiveness will be established by comparison with achievement and health status data for children not attending preschool and those in communities with no preschool service. The study will identify and describe the key factors influencing the health and learning outcomes of the three groups.
Community-Based Interventions To Reduce The Risk Of Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease In Indigenous Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,699,291.00
Summary
Poor nutrition is one of the main factors causing high rates of diabetes and heart disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Obesity is one of the main risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and it is associated with poor diet, lack of exercise and many social factors. Access to fresh vegetables and fruit is often difficult for indigenous people , especially in remote areas. The aim of this project is to work with indigenous communities in rural and remote areas to ....Poor nutrition is one of the main factors causing high rates of diabetes and heart disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Obesity is one of the main risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and it is associated with poor diet, lack of exercise and many social factors. Access to fresh vegetables and fruit is often difficult for indigenous people , especially in remote areas. The aim of this project is to work with indigenous communities in rural and remote areas to plan and run programs to lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease. The programs will be designed by community members and involve health education, diet, exercise and improving availability of healthy food choices in community stores. The programs will target diabetic people and their families or, in most cases, the whole community. It is very difficult for overweight adults to lose weight permanently, so school-based programs will be run to provide health education and healthy canteen policies put in place to try and prevent excess weight gain in younger people. To see whether these programs are effective, we will measure changes over time in risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, nutrition and community support and involvement in the program. Where a community achieves even modest improvements in diet and exercise, this is likely to lead to a much lower risk of diabetes and heart disease. We will identify what factors make a program effective and sustainable over the long term. This study will help us to set up a system for introducing and monitoring similar programs in other indigenous communities. (1358 characters)Read moreRead less