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Research
Associations between mental health profiles and later school outcomesThe dual-factor model of mental health proposes that high wellbeing and low distress are necessary to define mental health. This study used latent profile analysis to identify mental health profiles in a sample of 3,587 Australian grade 6 students and explored the association between mental health profiles and school outcomes measured in grades 7 and 9.
Research
Gender non-conformity in childhood and adolescence and mental health through to adulthood: A longitudinal cohort study, 1995-2018Few studies have examined associations between gender non-conformity (GNC) in childhood or adolescence and mental health outcomes later in life. This study examined associations between GNC and mental health over multiple time points in childhood and adolescence, and GNC in childhood and/or adolescence and mental health in adulthood.
Research
The causal impact of mental health on tobacco and alcohol consumption: An instrumental variables approachThe reciprocal relationship between psychiatric and substance use disorders is well-known, yet it remains largely unknown whether mental health morbidity causally leads to addictive behaviours. This paper utilises a fixed effects instrumental variables model, which is identified by time-varying sources of plausibly exogenous variations in mental health, and a nationally representative panel dataset from Australia to present robust evidence on the causal impact of mental distress on cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking behaviours.

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Urgent need to reduce preventable deaths in Aboriginal MumsA study by researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia has found Aboriginal mothers are at a significantly greater risk of preventable death than other Australia
Research
Nature Connection: Providing a Pathway from Personal to Planetary HealthThe vast and growing challenges for human health and all life on Earth require urgent and deep structural changes to the way in which we live. Broken relationships with nature are at the core of both the modern health crisis and the erosion of planetary health. A declining connection to nature has been implicated in the exploitative attitudes that underpin the degradation of both physical and social environments and almost all aspects of personal physical, mental, and spiritual health.

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Raine Foundation grants to support key child health researchThree outstanding young researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia have been named Raine Fellows and received valuable Raine Priming Grants to support their child health research.

The Healing Kids, Healing Families team at The Kids Research Institute Australia strives to improve child and family mental health and wellbeing, especially after experiencing trauma or adversity.

News & Events
Embrace 2024 Big Idea winner announcedA project that aims to understand and support the mental health of Australians with complex gender-affirmation experiences has received the $150,000 Embrace Big Idea Grant for 2024.
Research
Experiences of parents of trans young people accessing Australian health services for their child: Findings from Trans PathwaysMany trans young people seek mental health support and gender-affirming medical interventions including puberty suppression, gender-affirming hormones and/or surgeries. Trans young people and their parents face multiple barriers in accessing gender-affirming care and mental health support, however little is known about the parent perspective on accessing services for their trans child.
Research
#TransTok: a digital ethnographic study using content analysis to investigate transgender and gender diverse ‘for you page’ content on TikTok that may affect mental healthTransgender and gender diverse (“trans”) people are more likely to experience adverse mental health outcomes due to the social adversities that are commonly experienced. One ameliorating factor for poor mental health outcomes can be connection to community, often facilitated in online spaces such as TikTok.