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Research

Functional impairment is a core feature of both autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. While diagnostically independent, they can co-occur in the same individual at both the trait and diagnostic levels. The effect of such co-occurrence is hypothesized to worsen functional impairment. The diametric model, however, suggests that the disorders are etiologically and phenotypically diametrical, representing the extreme of a unidimensional continuum of cognition and behavior.

Research

Substance use is a public health issue with a greater burden in rural areas. Barriers to accessing services are exacerbated for rural substance users, with confidentiality concerns, longer travel distances, workforce issues and limited availability of services. This paper presents results from a study exploring substance users' experiences of accessing services in Western Australia's South West.

Research

Promoting psychological well-being and preventing distress among pregnant women is an important public health goal. In addition to adversely impacting the mother's health and well-being, psychological distress in pregnancy increases the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes, compromises infant socioemotional development and bonding, and heightens maternal and child vulnerability in the postpartum period. Mindfulness and compassion-based interventions show potential for prevention and early intervention for perinatal distress.

Research

Unmet language and literacy needs are common among young people who are involved with youth justice systems. However, there is limited research regarding the functional text-level language skills of this population with regard to narrative macrostructure (story grammar) and microstructure (semantics and syntax) elements. In this study, we examined macrostructure and microstructure elements in the oral and written narrative texts of 24 adolescent students of a youth detention centre. The students, who were aged 14- to 17- years, were all speakers of Standard Australian English, and 11 (46%) students met criteria for language disorder (LD).

Research

Migrant status is one of the most replicated and robust risk factors for developing a psychotic disorder. This study aimed to determine whether migrant status in people identified as Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis (UHR) was associated with risk of transitioning to a full-threshold psychotic disorder. Hazard ratios for the risk of transition were calculated from five large UHR cohorts (n = 2166) and were used to conduct a meta-analysis using the generic inverse-variance method using a random-effects model.

News & Events

Youth mental health researcher Penelope Strauss has been named an AMP Tomorrow Maker – the first researcher from The Kids Research Institute Australia to win one of the annual AMP Foundation grants.

Research

Amy Penelope Yael Zoe Larissa Finlay-Jones Strauss Perry Waters Marion BPsych(Hons), MPsych(Clinical), MHealthEcon, PhD (Clin Psych) BA, MPH, PhD

Research

Rainbow Knowledge: Broome & Kununurra is a First Nations led research project that aims to explore the perspectives, social emotional wellbeing (SEWB) and mental health experiences of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Asexual (LGBTQA+) or other sexually

Research

Some studies indicate siblings of transgender (trans) and gender diverse young people often experience negative mental health impacts such as anxiety and depression due to complicated familial, individual and social factors associated with having a trans sibling.

Research

The Youth Safe Haven Project will co-design a youth-specific Safe Haven Café within the Peel Health Hub to serve as an alternative to the emergency department for young people at risk of suicide.