The Development, Assessment And Treatment Of Early Indicators Of Psychopathy In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$271,130.00
Summary
2.7 Significance - Lay description Conduct problems and antisocial behaviour cost Australian society millions of dollars every year directly through the mental health and criminal justice systems, indirectly through their association with substance abuse and other mental health problems, and associated disruptions to health, relationships, and personal and occupational functioning. Remediation is not effective once a chronic pattern has been established. Recently, research has shown that early s ....2.7 Significance - Lay description Conduct problems and antisocial behaviour cost Australian society millions of dollars every year directly through the mental health and criminal justice systems, indirectly through their association with substance abuse and other mental health problems, and associated disruptions to health, relationships, and personal and occupational functioning. Remediation is not effective once a chronic pattern has been established. Recently, research has shown that early signs of psychopathy in children predict chronic antisocial behaviour and lack of responsiveness to traditional treatments. The current research uses a combination of experimental, longitudinal, and treatment outcome studies to examine: the effectiveness with which early signs of a callous-unemotional temperamental style, hypothesised to be an early indicator of psychopathy, can be measured in children, causal factors and correlates of callous-unemotional traits, whether such traits pose a risk for chronic antisocial behaviour, the effects of callous-unemotional traits on responsiveness to traditional family-school based treatments, and the effectiveness of an innovative method for treating it in the early years. The project leads directly to a range of clinical assessment and treatment strategies for children at risk for chronic antisocial behaviour. The project has the potential to substantially improve the effectiveness of current treatment approaches to conduct problems in children that focus on family and school management.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
Environmental and genetic risk factors for anxiety disorders in children. Anxiety disorders provide one of the largest sources of disability affecting Australian society. The results of this study will lead to critical advances in our understanding of the causes of anxiety disorders. Having greater understanding of factors that place a child at risk for disorder will allow intervention programs to more accurately target those children and families at greatest risk. Given the prevalence of anxiet ....Environmental and genetic risk factors for anxiety disorders in children. Anxiety disorders provide one of the largest sources of disability affecting Australian society. The results of this study will lead to critical advances in our understanding of the causes of anxiety disorders. Having greater understanding of factors that place a child at risk for disorder will allow intervention programs to more accurately target those children and families at greatest risk. Given the prevalence of anxiety disorders and the significant life interference associated with these disorders, improving intervention efforts will give rise to significant enhancement in the mental health of thousands of Australian children. Read moreRead less
Continuity and change in the development of young children with autism. Autism is a severe condition affecting social interaction, communication, behaviour and interests. Parents of children with autism experience high levels of stress associated with the burden of caring. There is a high societal cost associated with the care of people with autism. Research shows outcome in autism is poor, but that early intervention may improve outcome. This project will identify specific early precursors of a ....Continuity and change in the development of young children with autism. Autism is a severe condition affecting social interaction, communication, behaviour and interests. Parents of children with autism experience high levels of stress associated with the burden of caring. There is a high societal cost associated with the care of people with autism. Research shows outcome in autism is poor, but that early intervention may improve outcome. This project will identify specific early precursors of autism which predict outcome. This will allow the development of targeted intervention to give children the best possible start in life and improve longterm outcome. Improvement to the outcome of people with autism will considerably reduce parental and family burden and cost to the community.Read moreRead less
Enhancing learning capacity and academic outcomes using novel game technology in primary school children with developmental disabilities. Childhood inattention has been linked with poor academic outcomes and reduced social inclusion. In children with developmental disabilities improving poor attention skills is essential. The project aims to provide a novel and engaging evidence-based intervention program delivered as a portable, interactive game accessible in rural and urban communities.
Attentional mechanisms in the relationship between sleep disruption and academic outcomes in Australian school children. This project will assess the impact of sleep problems on attention and academic performance in primary school children. The project will investigate typically developing children and children with developmental disorders over 18 months. The research will advance knowledge of the interplay between sleep, attention and learning across development.
Improving Identification And Treatment Of Early-onset Behaviour Disorders In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$498,869.00
Summary
Most mental health problems begin in childhood and adolescence. Of these, oppositional-defiant and conduct problems in childhood are the most common precursor of all types of adult mental health problems. These children are the most common referral to child mental health clinics but little is known about which of these children will go in which direction i.e., good health, chronic antisocial behaviour, depression and anxiety, substance abuse, the psychoses. Progress in more accurately defining s ....Most mental health problems begin in childhood and adolescence. Of these, oppositional-defiant and conduct problems in childhood are the most common precursor of all types of adult mental health problems. These children are the most common referral to child mental health clinics but little is known about which of these children will go in which direction i.e., good health, chronic antisocial behaviour, depression and anxiety, substance abuse, the psychoses. Progress in more accurately defining subgroups of these children would have huge implications for early intervention for mental health problems in our community. This project proposes the first large scale analysis of genetic distributions through to behavioural and treatment factors that characterise and differentiate a large representative sample of children with conduct problems. The project will test a model of child psychopathology that links genotype, via environmental risk and emotion processing problems, to an improved diagnostic-phenotypic model for treatment of the major childhood disorder. Clinical research activities will be structured into three intersecting arms: first, identifying the genetic and behavioural subtypes of early-onset conduct problems; second, innovative treatments for these children, and third, the dissemination of findings to these children and their families via the health care system. The research will build new collaborations between established and internationally recognised clinical research teams in childhood mental health, biological psychiatry, genetics and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Statewide Network (CAMHSNET). CAMHSNET have specific responsibilities to NSW Health for expert advice and input on the development of child mental health services directions, dissemination, training, and effectiveness research.Read moreRead less
A biological model of early-onset aggression and antisocial behaviour. Aggression and antisocial behaviour have their origins in childhood. The causes involve a combination of environmental and biological factors. This project develops and tests an innovative model of how neural/hormonal processes predispose children to develop different forms of aggressive and antisocial behaviour.
Controlled trial of a family intervention for children bullied by peers. Bullying by peers begins as early as pre-school and affects a tenth of Australian children almost every day. This has serious ongoing consequences including increased risk of mental health problems, onset of health problems, development of negative school attitudes and behaviour problems and loss of friendships. This study is a controlled trial of a family program to assist children and parents to reduce the incidence and i ....Controlled trial of a family intervention for children bullied by peers. Bullying by peers begins as early as pre-school and affects a tenth of Australian children almost every day. This has serious ongoing consequences including increased risk of mental health problems, onset of health problems, development of negative school attitudes and behaviour problems and loss of friendships. This study is a controlled trial of a family program to assist children and parents to reduce the incidence and impact of bullying. If successful, such a program could provide relief to many children and families struggling with bullying and save untold millions of dollars lost to future mental health demands.Read moreRead less