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Research
Bigiswun Kid Project: a longitudinal study of adolescents living with high rates of prenatal alcohol exposure, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and early life trauma in remote Australian Aboriginal communitiesThe Lililwan Project was the first Australian population-based prevalence study of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) using active case ascertainment. Conducted in 2010-2011, the study included 95% of all eligible children aged 7-9 years living in the very remote Aboriginal communities of the Fitzroy Valley, Western Australia.
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Within- and between-person relationships between spontaneous self-affirmations, coping style, and wellbeingSelf-affirmations—responding to self-threatening information by reflecting on positive values or strengths—help to realign working self-concept and may support adaptive coping and wellbeing. Little research has been undertaken on spontaneous self-affirmations in response to everyday threats, and less has been undertaken on the relationships between spontaneous self-affirmations, coping, and wellbeing.
Research
Understanding Current Staff Experiences, Practices and Needs in Supporting Young People with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in the Queensland Youth Justice SystemYoung people with neurodevelopmental disorders are overrepresented in the youth justice system and face many disadvantages due to their impairments. The current study investigated what factors predict and contribute to the behavior of youth justice professionals working in the Queensland (QLD) youth justice system, utilizing a behavior change wheel framework.
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Cannabidiol for at risk for psychosis youth: A randomized controlled trialNo biological treatment has been firmly established for the at-risk stage of psychotic disorder. In this study we aim to test if subthreshold psychotic symptoms can be effectively treated with cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound of the plant Cannabis sativa.
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Associations Between Developmental Risk Profiles, Mental Disorders, and Student Absences Among Primary and Secondary Students in AustraliaThis study assessed if the association between mental disorders and higher student absences varies across different profiles of risk factors, and estimated the proportion of student absences associated with mental disorders. Data included responses from a nationally representative Australian survey of child and adolescent mental health.
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Justice capital: A model for reconciling structural and agentic determinants of desistanceThe emerging literature on desistance (and recovery from addictions) has focused on key life-course transitions that can be characterised as the need for jobs (meaningful activities), friends (transitioning to pro-social) and houses (a home free from threat). The term ‘recovery capital’ is used to characterise personal, social and community resources an individual can draw upon to support their recovery, partly bridging agentic (personal) and structural (community) factors.
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Risk of conduct and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms in offspring of parents with mental health problems: Findings from the Raine StudyEpidemiological data indicate that paternal and maternal mental health difficulties are predictors of conduct disorder (CD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in offspring. We tested the association between maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms and paternal emotional problems with CD and ODD symptoms in adolescent offspring aged 17.
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Lurasidone for Adolescents With Complex Mental Disorders: A Case SeriesLurasidone is a new second generation (atypical) antipsychotic agent with unique receptor affinity and side-effect profiles, but limited literature is available on its use in adolescent populations. Contrasting with research treatment trials which typically recruit patients by stringent selection criteria, this case series examined the effects and tolerability of using lurasidone in adolescents within real-life clinical settings in treating complex cases who had not responded to other therapy options. We conducted a retrospective case-note audit of 6 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years old attending community child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) who were prescribed lurasidone.
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Intersex adolescents seeking help for their depression: the case study of SPARX in New ZealandSPARX is a computerized cognitive behavioral therapy self-help program for adolescent depression that is freely available in New Zealand. At registration, users identify themselves as either male, female, intersex, or transgender. We aimed to describe the mental health of adolescent intersex users. A secondary analysis of SPARX usage data over 5 years.
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Adiposity associated DNA methylation signatures in adolescents are related to leptin and perinatal factorsEpigenetics links perinatal influences with later obesity. We identifed differentially methylated CpG (dmCpG) loci measured at 17 years associated with concurrent adiposity measures and examined whether these were associated with hsCRP, adipokines, and early life environmental factors. Genome-wide DNA methylation from 1192 Raine Study participants at 17 years, identified 29 dmCpGs associated with body mass index, 10 with waist circumference and 9 with subcutaneous fat thickness.