Australian Rotary Health Research Articles

The mental health of Farsi-Dari speaking asylum-seeking children and parents facing insecure residency in Australia

SummaryBackgroundThis research examined the mental health of a cohort of asylum-seeking children, adolescents and their primary caregiver affected by insecure residency while living in the community, compared to refugees and immigrants.MethodsThe project investigated the prevalence of psychosocial problems among Iranian and Afghani asylum seeker, refugee and immigrant children and adolescents, and their caregivers who arrived in Australia from 2010. In total, n=196 children and adolescents aged 5–18 years, and their primary caregiver were asked about family visa status, country of origin, level of education, parent symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire) and child wellbeing (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). An additional n=362 Farsi and Dari speaking children, recruited through the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) study, a national comparison sample of families with permanent refugee visas, were included.FindingsAsylum seeker children and adolescents displayed significantly more psychosocial problems compared to those with full refugee protection and immigrant background within the current sample and when benchmarked against a national sample of Farsi-Dari speaking refugee children. Higher parental posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms was associated with poorer child and adolescent psychosocial functioning. This effect was more marked in families with insecure residency.InterpretationInsecure visa status is associated with higher rates of children's mental health problems and a stronger association with parental PTSD symptoms compared to children with secure residency. This raises important questions about Australia's restrictive immigration policies.FundingThis project was supported by an Australian Rotary Health Research Fund / Mental Health of Young Australians Research Grant and by the Australian Research Council (DP160104378).

A Mobile Peer Intervention for Preventing Mental Health and Substance Use Problems in Adolescents: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial (The Mind Your Mate Study).

BackgroundAnxiety, mood, and substance use disorders have significant social and economic impacts, which are largely attributable to their early age of onset and chronic disabling course. Therefore, it is critical to intervene early to prevent chronic and debilitating trajectories.ObjectiveThis paper describes the study protocol of a CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials)-compliant randomized controlled trial for evaluating the effectiveness of the Mind your Mate program, a mobile health (mHealth) peer intervention that aims to prevent mental health (focusing on anxiety and depression) and substance use problems in adolescents.MethodsParticipants will consist of approximately 840 year 9 or year 10 students (60 students per grade per school) from 14 New South Wales high schools in Sydney, Australia. Schools will be recruited from a random selection of independent and public schools across the New South Wales Greater Sydney Area by using publicly available contact details. The intervention will consist of 1 introductory classroom lesson and a downloadable mobile app that will be available for use for 12 months. Schools will be randomly allocated to receive either the mHealth peer intervention or a waitlist control (health education as usual). All students will be given web-based self-assessments at baseline and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. The primary outcomes of the trial will be the self-reported use of alcohol and drugs, anxiety and depression symptoms, knowledge about mental health and substance use, motives for not drinking, and willingness to seek help. Secondary outcomes will include positive well-being, the quality of life, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses will be conducted using mixed-effects linear regression analyses for normally distributed data and mixed-effects logistic regression analyses for categorical data.ResultsThe Mind your Mate study was funded by an Australian Rotary Health Bruce Edwards Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from 2019 to 2022. Some of the development costs for the Mind your Mate intervention came from a seed funding grant from the Brain and Mind Centre of the University of Sydney. The enrollment of schools began in July 2020; 12 of 14 schools were enrolled at the time of submission. Baseline assessments are currently underway, and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2022.ConclusionsThe Mind your Mate study will generate vital new knowledge about the effectiveness of a peer support prevention strategy in real-world settings for the most common mental disorders in youth. If effective, this intervention will constitute a scalable, low-cost prevention strategy that has significant potential to reduce the impact of mental and substance use disorders.Trial RegistrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12620000753954; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=379738&isReview=trueInternational Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/26796

A Web-Based Cognitive Bias Modification Intervention (Re-train Your Brain) for Emerging Adults With Co-occurring Social Anxiety and Hazardous Alcohol Use: Protocol for a Multiarm Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

BackgroundAlcohol use and anxiety disorders commonly co-occur, resulting in a more severe clinical presentation and poorer response to treatment. Research has shown that approach bias modification (ApBM) and interpretation bias modification (IBM) cognitive retraining interventions can be efficacious adjunctive treatments that improve outcomes for alcohol use and social anxiety, respectively. However, the acceptability, feasibility, and clinical utility of combining ApBM and IBM programs to optimize treatments among comorbid samples are unknown. It is also unclear whether integrating ApBM and IBM within each training session or alternating them between each session is more acceptable and efficacious.ObjectiveThis paper describes the protocol for a randomized controlled pilot trial investigating the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the Re-train Your Brain intervention—an adjunct web-based ApBM+IBM program—among a clinical sample of emerging adults with hazardous alcohol use and social anxiety.MethodsThe study involves a three-arm randomized controlled pilot trial in which treatment-seeking emerging adults (18-30 years) with co-occurring hazardous alcohol use and social anxiety will be individually randomized to receive the Re-train Your Brain integrated program, delivered with 10 biweekly sessions focusing on both social anxiety and alcohol each week, plus treatment as usual (TAU; ie, the model of care provided in accordance with standard practice at their service; n=30); the Re-train Your Brain alternating program, delivered with 10 biweekly sessions focusing on social anxiety one week and alcohol the next week, plus TAU (n=30); or TAU only (n=30). Primary outcomes include feasibility (uptake, follow-up rates, treatment adherence, attrition, and adverse events) and acceptability (system usability, client satisfaction, user experience, and training format preference). Secondary efficacy outcomes include changes in alcohol approach and interpretation biases, social anxiety, and alcohol use (eg, drinks per day, binge drinking, drinking motives, severity of dependence, and cravings). The primary end point will be posttreatment (6 weeks postbaseline), with a secondary end point at 3 months postbaseline. Descriptive statistics will be conducted for primary outcomes, whereas intention-to-treat, multilevel mixed effects analysis for repeated measures will be performed for secondary outcomes.ResultsThis study is funded from 2019 to 2023 by Australian Rotary Health. Recruitment is expected to be completed by mid-2022 to late 2022, with follow-ups completed by early 2023.ConclusionsThis study will be the first to evaluate whether an ApBM+IBM program is acceptable to treatment-seeking, emerging adults and whether it can be feasibly delivered via the web, in settings where it will ultimately be used (eg, at home). The findings will broaden our understanding of the types of programs that emerging adults will engage with and whether the program may be an efficacious treatment option for this comorbidity.Trial RegistrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12620001273976; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=364131International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/28667

Parental mental health before and during pregnancy and offspring birth outcomes: A 20-year preconception cohort of maternal and paternal exposure.

BackgroundPreterm birth (PTB) and small for gestational age (SGA) are increasingly prevalent, with major consequences for health and development into later life. There is emerging evidence that some risk processes begin before pregnancy. We report on associations between maternal and paternal common mental disorders (CMD) before and during pregnancy and offspring PTB and SGA.Methods398 women with 609 infants and 267 men with 421 infants were assessed repeatedly for CMD symptoms before pregnancy between age 14 and 29 and during pregnancy. Associations between preconception and antenatal CMD symptoms and offspring gestational age/PTB and size for gestational age/SGA were estimated using linear and Poisson regression.FindingsIn men, persistent preconception CMD across adolescence and young adulthood predicted offspring PTB after adjustment for ethnicity, education, BMI and adolescent substance use (adjusted RR 7·0, 95% CI 1·8,26·8), corresponding to a population attributable fraction of 31% of preterm births. In women, antenatal CMD symptoms predicted offspring PTB (adjusted RR 4·4, 95% CI 1·4,14·1). There was little evidence of associations with SGA.InterpretationThis first report of an association between paternal preconception mental health and offspring gestational age, while requiring replication in larger samples, complements earlier work on stress in animals, and further strengthens the case for expanding preconception mental health care to both men and women.FundingNational Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, Australian Rotary Health, Colonial Foundation, Perpetual Trustees, Financial Markets Foundation for Children (Australia), Royal Children's Hospital Foundation, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Australian Research Council.

Vesicular ATP-binding cassette transporters in human disease: relevant aspects of their organization for future drug development

Vesicular ATP-binding cassette transporters in human disease: relevant aspects of their organization for future drug development

<b>G</b>ROUPS <b>4</b> <b>H</b>EALTH versus Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in Young People with Depression and Loneliness: A Randomized, Phase 3, Non-Inferiority Trial with 12 Month Follow-Up

Background: Depression treatments are typically less effective for young people than for adults. However, extant treatments rarely target loneliness, which is a key risk factor in the onset, maintenance, and development of depression. This study evaluated the efficacy of a novel loneliness intervention, GROUPS 4 HEALTH (G4H), relative to best-practice treatment Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) in reducing loneliness and depression over a 12 month follow-up. Methods: The study was a phase 3, randomised non-inferiority trial comparing G4H to dose-controlled group CBT. Participants were 174 young people aged 15-25 years experiencing loneliness and clinically significant symptoms of depression, who were not in receipt of adjunct treatment. Participants were recruited from mental health services in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Randomisation was conducted using computer software. Follow-up assessments and statistical analyses were blind to allocation. Both interventions consisted of 5 x 75 min group-based psychotherapy sessions. The primary outcomes were depression and loneliness, with a non-inferiority margin of 2.20 for depression. Outcomes: 174 participants were enrolled between 24 April 2018 and 25 May 2019, with 84 in the G4H condition and 90 in the CBT condition. All randomised participants were included in the intention-to-treat analyses (N=174). The pre-post effect sizes for loneliness were d =-1.07G4H and d=-0.89CBT. For depression, they were d=-.71G4H and d=-.91CBT. At 12 month follow-up, the absolute difference between groups in loneliness was -0.679 (95%CI: -.1.43, .07) and in depression was 1.176 (95%CI: -1.94, 4.29). No adverse effects were observed. Interpretation: G4H was non-inferior to CBT for depression and showed a slight advantage over CBT for loneliness that emerged after treatment completion. Trial Registration: The trial was prospectively registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ACTRN12618000440224) on 27 March 2018 and is closed to new participants. Funding Statement: Australian Rotary Health and the National Health and Medical Research Council (#1173270). Declaration of Interests: The authors TC, CH and AH are the developers of the GROUPS 4 HEALTH program, and The University of Queensland holds its associated Intellectual Property. These authors have an academic, rather than commercial, interest in the program, with training offered at cost and additional funds directed to ongoing program development and evaluation. All other authors have nothing to declare. Ethics Approval Statement: All participants provided informed and voluntary consent in writing. For young people aged under 16 who wished to participate, parental consent was also sought in accordance with the organizational policy of the healthcare services where the group was taking place. The trial received ethics approval (Brisbane Metro South HREC/18/QPAH/54, ratified by the University of Queensland #2018000420).

Protocol for the Inroads Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Internet-Delivered, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Based Early Intervention to Reduce Anxiety and Hazardous Alcohol Use Among Young People.

BackgroundThe transition to adulthood is a unique developmental period characterized by numerous personal and social role changes and increased opportunities for alcohol consumption. Using alcohol to cope with anxiety symptoms is commonly reported, and young people with anxiety are at a greater risk of hazardous alcohol use and progression to alcohol use disorder. Anxiety and alcohol use tend to fuel each other in an exacerbating feed-forward cycle, leading to difficult-to-treat chronic problems. The peak in onset of anxiety and alcohol disorders suggests this developmental window represents a promising opportunity for early intervention before these problems become entrenched.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the Inroads program, a therapist-supported, internet-delivered early intervention for young adults that targets alcohol use, anxiety symptoms, and the interconnections between these problems.MethodsA randomized controlled trial will be conducted nationally among young Australians (aged 17-24 years) who experience anxiety symptoms and drink alcohol at hazardous or harmful levels. Participants will be individually randomized on a 1:1 basis to receive the Inroads intervention or assessment plus alcohol guidelines. Participants randomized to the Inroads intervention will receive access to 5 Web-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) modules and weekly therapist support via email and/or phone. The primary outcome assessment will be 8 weeks post baseline, with follow-up assessment 6 months post baseline to determine the sustainability of the intervention effects. Primary outcomes will be the total number of standard drinks consumed in the past month (assessed by the Timeline Follow-Back procedure), severity of alcohol-related harms (assessed by the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire), and anxiety symptoms across multiple disorders (assessed by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7). Secondary outcomes will include alcohol outcome expectancies; functional impairment and quality of life; and symptoms of social anxiety, anxious arousal, and depression. Results will be analyzed by intention-to-treat using multilevel mixed effects analysis for repeated measures.ResultsThe study is funded from 2017 to 2020 by Australian Rotary Health. Recruitment is expected to be complete by late-2018, with the 6-month follow-ups to be completed by mid-2019. Results are expected to be published in 2020.ConclusionsThe study will be the first to evaluate the benefits of a youth-focused early intervention that simultaneously targets anxiety and hazardous alcohol use. By explicitly addressing the interconnections between anxiety and alcohol use and enhancing CBT coping skills, the Inroads program has the potential to interrupt the trajectory toward co-occurring anxiety and alcohol use disorders. The Web-based format of the program combined with minimal therapist support means that if effective, the program could be widely disseminated to reach young people who are not currently able or willing to access face-to-face treatment.Trial RegistrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12617001609347; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=372748&isReview=true (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/77Au19jmf)International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/12370

Association of parental supply of alcohol with adolescent drinking, alcohol-related harms, and alcohol use disorder symptoms: a prospective cohort study

Some parents supply alcohol to their children, reportedly to reduce harm, yet longitudinal research on risks associated with such supply is compromised by short periods of observation and potential confounding. We aimed to investigate associations between parental supply and supply from other (non-parental) sources, with subsequent drinking outcomes over a 6-year period of adolescence, adjusting for child, parent, family, and peer variables. We did this prospective cohort study using data from the Australian Parental Supply of Alcohol Longitudinal Study cohort of adolescents. Children in grade 7 (mean age 12 years), and their parents, were recruited between 2010 and 2011 from secondary schools in Sydney, Perth, and Hobart, Australia, and were surveyed annually between 2010 and 2016. We examined the association of exposure to parental supply and other sources of alcohol in 1 year with five outcomes in the subsequent year: binge drinking (more than four standard drinks on a drinking occasion); alcohol-related harms; and symptoms of alcohol abuse (as defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition [DSM-IV]), alcohol dependence, and alcohol use disorder (as defined by DSM-5). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02280551. Between September, 2010, and June, 2011, we recruited 1927 eligible parents and adolescents (mean age 12·9 years [SD 0·52]). Participants were followed up until 2016, during which time binge drinking and experience of alcohol-related harms increased. Adolescents who were supplied alcohol only by parents had higher odds of subsequent binge consumption (odds ratio [OR] 2·58, 95% CI 1·96-3·41; p<0·0001), alcohol-related harm (2·53, 1·99-3·24; p<0·0001), and symptoms of alcohol use disorder (2·51, 1·46-4·29; p=0·0008) than did those reporting no supply. Parental supply of alcohol was not significantly associated with the odds of reporting symptoms of either alcohol abuse or dependence, compared with no supply from any source. Supply from other sources was associated with significant risks of all adverse outcomes, compared with no supply, with an even greater increased risk of adverse outcomes. Providing alcohol to children is associated with alcohol-related harms. There is no evidence to support the view that parental supply protects from adverse drinking outcomes by providing alcohol to their child. Parents should be advised that this practice is associated with risk, both directly and indirectly through increased access to alcohol from other sources. Australian Research Council, Australian Rotary Health, Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

Endometriosis and fertility: women's accounts of healthcare.

What do women with endometriosis recall being told about their fertility by their healthcare providers? Women recalled being given varied information and advice, and gave examples of empathic and individualized care from doctors but also reported opportunities for enhancing clinical practice. There is evidence of an association between endometriosis and infertility. However, the strength of this association and the mechanisms that underlie it are not yet known nor are the implications for optimum healthcare. This study used in-depth cross-sectional qualitative research methods. Women aged at least 18 years who lived in Victoria, Australia, and who had been surgically diagnosed with endometriosis were invited to participate in in-depth interviews about their experience of endometriosis. Twenty-six women of diverse backgrounds and experiences of endometriosis were interviewed from January to September 2014. Interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically using a data-driven approach. All women encountered medical professionals who were aware of the association between endometriosis and infertility, and who were proactive in ensuring fertility was addressed within endometriosis care. Women recalled being given varied, often conflicting, information about the consequences for their fertility of an endometriosis diagnosis. While some recounted positive experiences with the way their doctor communicated with them about endometriosis and fertility, all women reported adverse experiences such as receiving insufficient or inappropriate information or having their doctor prioritize their fertility over other aspects of their care, including quality of life and symptom relief, without first consulting them. The perspectives of the women's doctors were not sought. The findings may not translate to settings that differ from a predominantly Anglo-Saxon country with both universal public and private healthcare systems. Women's fertility needs and priorities differ for many reasons; there can be no 'one size fits all' approach to care. Women may benefit most from endometriosis care in which they are first asked about their fertility needs and preferences and in which medical uncertainty is acknowledged. K.Y. receives a scholarship from the National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian Rotary Health. J.F. is supported by a Monash Professional Fellowship and the Jean Hailes Professional Fellowship which is funded by Perpetual Trustees Pty Ltd. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Not applicable.

Prediction of perinatal depression from adolescence and before conception (VIHCS): 20-year prospective cohort study

Perinatal depression is a neglected global health priority, affecting 10-15% of women in high-income countries and a greater proportion in low-income countries. Outcomes for children include cognitive, behavioural, and emotional difficulties and, in low-income settings, perinatal depression is associated with stunting and physical illness. In the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS), we aimed to assess the extent to which women with perinatal depressive symptoms had a history of mental health problems before conception. VIHCS is a follow-up study of participants in the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study (VAHCS), which was initiated in August, 1992, in the state of Victoria, Australia. In VAHCS, participants were assessed for health outcomes at nine timepoints (waves) from age 14 years to age 29 years. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule and the General Health Questionnaire. Enrolment to VIHCS began in September, 2006, during the ninth wave of VAHCS; depressive symptoms at this timepoint were measured with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. We contacted women every 6 months (from age 29 years to age 35 years) to identify any pregnancies. We assessed perinatal depressive symptoms with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) by computer-assisted telephone interview at 32 weeks of gestation, 8 weeks after birth, and 12 months after birth. We defined perinatal depression as an EPDS score of 10 or more. From a stratified random sample of 1000 female participants in VAHCS, we enrolled 384 women with 564 pregnancies. 253 (66%) of these women had a previous history of mental health problems at some point in adolescence or young adulthood. 117 women with a history of mental health problems in both adolescence and young adulthood had 168 pregnancies, and perinatal depressive symptoms were reported for 57 (34%) of these pregnancies, compared with 16 (8%) of 201 pregnancies in 131 women with no preconception history of mental health problems (adjusted odds ratio 8·36, 95% CI 3·34-20·87). Perinatal depressive symptoms were reported at one or more assessment points in 109 pregnancies; a preconception history of mental health problems was reported in 93 (85%) of these pregnancies. Perinatal depressive symptoms are mostly preceded by mental health problems that begin before pregnancy, in adolescence or young adulthood. Women with a history of persisting common mental disorders before pregnancy are an identifiable high-risk group, deserving of clinical support throughout the childbearing years. Furthermore, the window for considering preventive intervention for perinatal depression should extend to the time before conception. National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, Colonial Foundation, Australian Rotary Health Research and Perpetual Trustees.

Repetition expectancy vs. conflict adaptation: which better explains the congruency sequence effect?

Event Abstract Back to Event Repetition expectancy vs. conflict adaptation: which better explains the congruency sequence effect? Janette L. Smith1* and Christopher Sufani2 1 University of New South Wales, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Australia 2 University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Australia Aims: Response conflict tasks often involve task-irrelevant stimulus features which are either congruent or incongruent with the relevant target stimulus feature, resulting in interference (increased RT and error rate, larger N2 and P3 amplitude) on incongruent trials. However, this effect is larger if the previous stimulus was a congruent trial: this defines the congruency sequence effect (CSE). In the current study, we examine two competing theories explaining the CSE (namely, that participants expect repetitions, or that they adapt to conflict trial-by-trial) by comparing the effects of longer trial sequences. Method: 35 participants completed an Eriksen flanker task while EEG was recorded. Post-experimentally, trials were sorted according to the identity of not only the current trial, but also the preceding three trials. Results: When trials were sorted according to the sequence of repetitions and alternations, no strong evidence of subjective expectancies was observed. However, when trials were sorted according to the number and recency of congruent trials in the preceding sequence, there were strong effects suggesting conflict adaptation, with error rate, RT, and N2 and P3 amplitude to incongruent trials all showing linear reductions with increasing numbers of incongruent trials in the preceding sequence. Conclusions: The results highlight the utility of considering longer sequences of trials than are traditionally examined. Acknowledgements Dr JL Smith was supported in this work by a Vice-Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and an Australian Rotary Health Royce Abbey Postdoctoral Fellowship. Keywords: congruency sequence effect, conflict adaptation, expectancy, Eriksen Flanker task, Gratton effect Conference: Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Inc, Coffs Harbour, Australia, 26 Nov - 28 Nov, 2014. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Psychophysiology Citation: Smith JL and Sufani C (2014). Repetition expectancy vs. conflict adaptation: which better explains the congruency sequence effect?. Conference Abstract: Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Inc. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2014.216.00011 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 22 Oct 2014; Published Online: 02 Dec 2014. * Correspondence: Dr. Janette L Smith, University of New South Wales, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Sydney, Australia, janette.smith@unsw.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Janette L Smith Christopher Sufani Google Janette L Smith Christopher Sufani Google Scholar Janette L Smith Christopher Sufani PubMed Janette L Smith Christopher Sufani Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Research priorities in suicide prevention: an examination of Australian-based research 2007–11

Suicide prevention, including among youth, has been a national priority in Australia for some time. Yet despite this, rates of suicide, and related behaviour, remain high. The aim of this study was to review all suicide-prevention research that had been conducted in Australia between January 2007 and December 2011, with a specific emphasis on studies relating to young people, in order to determine whether or not we are prioritising the sort of research that can adequately inform policy development and guide 'best practice'. Data were collected from two sources. First, several electronic databases were searched in October 2012 in order to identify published journal articles relating to suicide, written by Australian authors. Second, summary data obtained from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund and the Australian Research Council were examined in order to identify currently funded studies that relate to suicide. Studies were then classified according to whether or not they had a focus on youth, and according to research type, type of suicide-related behaviour under investigation and method of suicide. There were 224 articles published and 12 grants funded that specifically focussed on suicide-related behaviour over the period January 2007 to December 2011. Of these, 47 articles (21%) and five funded grants (42%) focussed on young people. Youth studies, in particular those reported in the published articles, tended to be epidemiological in nature and only six of the published articles (13%) and two of the funded grants related to intervention studies. Although the focus on youth is welcome, the lack of intervention studies is disappointing. Given that rates of suicide and related behaviour remain high, there is a clear need for a stronger body of intervention research that can inform national policy, if we are to successfully develop effective approaches to reducing suicide risk. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TOPIC? Although the prevention of youth suicide has been a national priority for some time, rates of suicide and suicide-related behaviour remain high among young Australians. Much is known about the epidemiology of suicide; however, relatively little is known about which interventions may be effective in reducing this risk. Previous research suggests that although youth receive a reasonable amount of research attention in Australia, the majority of studies focus on epidemiological as opposed to intervention research. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD? This paper reviews all suicide research that has been conducted in Australia between 2007 and 2011 in order to examine how much attention is currently given to studies relating to youth, and the relative priority given to intervention and epidemiological studies. Our findings support those reported previously, which suggest that although a significant proportion of suicide research focuses on youth, relatively little attention continues to be given to intervention studies. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS? This paper argues that further intervention research is needed if we are to build a sufficiently strong evidence base that can effectively inform policy development and guide best practice when it comes to preventing youth suicide in Australia.

Australian Rotary Health: a major contributor to mental illness research and mental health awareness in Australia

Australian Rotary Health (ARH) was established in 1981 with the goal of supporting family health research in Australia. Since 2000, ARH has supported research relevant to mental health and mental illness. This article describes the early history of the fund, the reasons for the move to mental illness research, some examples of research projects that have had a beneficial impact and the branching out into mental health community awareness raising and stigma reduction. ARH has emerged as a major non-government supporter of mental illness research. It has also effectively engaged Rotary clubs at a local level to increase community awareness of mental illness and to reduce stigma.

Medial temporal lobe substructures differentially contribute to processing within- and between-domain associative recognition memory for semantic and non-semantic stimuli

Event Abstract Back to Event Medial temporal lobe substructures differentially contribute to processing within- and between-domain associative recognition memory for semantic and non-semantic stimuli Marshall A. Dalton1, 2*, Michael Hornberger1, 2 and Olivier Piguet1, 2 1 Neuroscience Research Australia , Australia 2 School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia Introduction The domain dichotomy theory posits that medial temporal lobe (MTL) substructures differentially contribute to different types of associative memory processing with the hippocampus implicated in the integration of information from different perceptual or conceptual domains (between-domain [BD] memory processing) and the perirhinal cortex involved in within-domain (WD) memory processing. The aim of this study was to determine whether the neural correlates of recognition memory on WD and BD associative memory tasks differ when processing semantic and non-semantic stimuli. Methods Twenty healthy adults participated in an fMRI experiment comprising three associative memory tasks: (i) a WD task using non-semantic stimuli, (ii) a WD task using compound words, (iii) a BD task using a word-location paradigm. Results WD associative recognition memory for non-semantic stimuli correlated with an increased BOLD signal in the right perirhinal cortex. WD associative recognition memory for semantic stimuli correlated with an increased BOLD signal in the left anterior hippocampus. BD associative recognition memory correlated with an increased BOLD signal in the left posterior hippocampus. Conclusions Results of this study support the theory that MTL substructures differentially contribute to different types of associative memory processing and in addition show that MTL substructures also differentially contribute to associative memory processing of semantic and non-semantic stimuli. These results have important implications for theoretical models of associative and episodic memory processing in the human MTL. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the Australian Research Council [DP110104202 to M.H.] and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia [APP1022684 to O.P.]. M.A.D. is supported by an Australian Rotary Health award. Keywords: medial temporal lobe, Hippocampus, perirhinal cortex, Associative Memory, episodic memory Conference: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 29 Nov - 2 Dec, 2012. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Memory Citation: Dalton MA, Hornberger M and Piguet O (2012). Medial temporal lobe substructures differentially contribute to processing within- and between-domain associative recognition memory for semantic and non-semantic stimuli. Conference Abstract: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.208.00136 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 25 Oct 2012; Published Online: 17 Nov 2012. * Correspondence: Mr. Marshall A Dalton, Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia, m.dalton@neura.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Marshall A Dalton Michael Hornberger Olivier Piguet Google Marshall A Dalton Michael Hornberger Olivier Piguet Google Scholar Marshall A Dalton Michael Hornberger Olivier Piguet PubMed Marshall A Dalton Michael Hornberger Olivier Piguet Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

A single psychotomimetic dose of ketamine disrupts corticothalamic dynamics

Event Abstract Back to Event A single psychotomimetic dose of ketamine disrupts corticothalamic dynamics Paul Anderson1, 2, 3*, Terence O'Brien1, Nigel C. Jones1 and Didier Pinault2, 3 1 University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), Australia 2 Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Médecine, France 3 INSERM U666, physiopathologie et psychopathologie cognitive de la schizophrénie, France Sensory and cognitive deficits are common in schizophrenia. The underlying anatomo-functional mechanisms remain elusive. There is a growing body of literature indicating the involvement of dysfunctional thalamic networks in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, including disturbances in function-related gamma frequency (30-80 Hz) oscillations. A postulated mechanism of these impairments is the reduced N-Methyl d-Aspartate receptor (NMDAr) activation at glutamatergic synapses on GABAergic interneurons. Ketamine is a non-competitive NMDAr antagonist that when administered at sub-anaesthetic doses in humans and rodents produces symptoms reminiscent of psychosis and also induces aberrant gamma oscillations in cortical and sub-cortical structures, including the thalamus. Corticothalamic and thalamocortical pathways are glutamatergic and work together during brain operations, including during cognition and sensory information processing. Corticothalamic pathways originate from layer VI and innervate simultaneously GABAergic thalamic reticular nucleus neurons and thalamocortical neurons of the dorsal thalamus. The goal of the present study was to explore the spatiotemporal dynamics of the corticothalamic and thalamocortical pathways in the rat somatosensory system under physiological (vehicle) and pathological (ketamine) conditions. We conducted under light anesthesia (4) multisite cell-to-network recordings in the rat somatosensory thalamus. Its background activity was challenged by stimulation of the vibrissae. Sensory stimulation evoked a short-latency (3.3 ± 0.1 ms, n=30 from 3 animals) prethalamic response and a longer latency (9.6 ± 0.1 ms, n = 30 from 3 animals) corticothalamic response. A single injection of ketamine (2.5 mg/kg, sc) significantly increased the power of gamma oscillations (~240 % of vehicle, p < 0.001) and decreased the amplitude of the sensory-evoked corticothalamic response (vehicle condition: -0.35 ± 0.02 mV; ketamine condition: -0.26 ± 0.05 mV, p < 0.001, n = 20). In conclusion, the present results support the hypothesis that the psychotomimetic effects of ketamine are characterized by a reduction of the sensory signal-to-gamma noise ratio in corticothalamic systems. Acknowledgements Paul Anderson is supported by an Australian Rotary Health PhD scholarship Keywords: gamma oscillations, Ketamine, Schizophrenia, sensory processing, Thalamus Conference: Bernstein Conference 2012, Munich, Germany, 12 Sep - 14 Sep, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Sensory processing and perception Citation: Anderson P, O'Brien T, Jones NC and Pinault D (2012). A single psychotomimetic dose of ketamine disrupts corticothalamic dynamics. Front. Comput. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: Bernstein Conference 2012. doi: 10.3389/conf.fncom.2012.55.00141 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 11 May 2012; Published Online: 12 Sep 2012. * Correspondence: Mr. Paul Anderson, University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), Melbourne, Australia, p.anderson2@student.unimelb.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Paul Anderson Terence O'Brien Nigel C Jones Didier Pinault Google Paul Anderson Terence O'Brien Nigel C Jones Didier Pinault Google Scholar Paul Anderson Terence O'Brien Nigel C Jones Didier Pinault PubMed Paul Anderson Terence O'Brien Nigel C Jones Didier Pinault Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Celebrating 30 years of Australian Rotary Health

How one man's vision to fund health research grew to become the country's largest non-government funder of research into mental illness.

Correction: Targeting the angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) in colorectal liver metastases

Acknowledgements This work was supported by Cancer Australia’s Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme and is co-funded by Cancer Australia and Cure Cancer Australia Foundation. We would also like to thank the CanToo fund raisers. Dr Ager is supported by an NHMRC Post-doctoral Training Award. Ms Shu-wen Wen is supported by an Australian Rotary Health Research Fund PhD Scholarship. We would like to thank Professor Mauro Sandrin and his team from the xenotransplantation group at Austin Health (Australia), Dr Russell Hodgson and Claire Lin, for their help with CFSE and PI staining and analysis.

For Teens, Mental Illness Knows No Borders

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article International NewsFull AccessFor Teens, Mental Illness Knows No BordersJoan Arehart-TreichelJoan Arehart-TreichelSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:5 Sep 2003https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.38.17.0018How do the mental health problems experienced by teens in one country compare with those experienced by teens in another country?They tend to be quite similar, a new seven-country study suggests, and girls tend to have more mental health issues than boys do.A difference is that girls are apt to internalize their difficulties, boys to externalize theirs.The study was headed by Frank Verhulst, M.D., of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and is reported in the August American Journal of Psychiatry.The study focused on some 7,000 randomly selected adolescents aged 11 to 18 in Australia, China, Israel, Jamaica, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United States.Verhulst and his coworkers gave a questionnaire called the Youth Self-Report to the subjects. The questionnaire is designed to be completed by youth aged 11 to 18 and contains 101 problem items. The problem items are scored as follows: 0=not true; 1=somewhat or sometimes true; and 2=very true or often true on the basis of the preceding six months.Questionnaire Identifies SimilaritiesThe questionnaire can be scored for particular kinds of problems such as anxiety, depression, somatic complaints, and aggressive behavior. The questionnaire has been documented as reliable and valid in the United States and other countries. For the purpose of this study, it was given in English to youth in Australia, Jamaica, and the United States; and in Chinese, Hebrew, Dutch, and Turkish to youth in China, Israel, the Netherlands, and Turkey, respectively.After the subjects completed the questionnaire, the researchers computed the total problem score for each subject; an average total problem score for all subjects in each country; and an average total problem score for all 7,000 subjects. Then the average total problem score for youths in each country was compared with the average total problem score for youths in all seven countries.The average total problem score was found to be 37.6, and the average total problem score for youth in each of the seven countries was found to deviate to a statistically significant degree, but not all that dramatically, from that 37.6. Specifically, the largest deviation above the average, 6.6, was for Chinese youth, whereas the lowest deviation from the average, -7.2, was for Israeli youth. Youth from the other five countries had an average total score that deviated within five points from 37.6.The total problem scores for subjects in each of the seven countries were also compared by gender. With cross-culture consistency, girls were found to have significantly higher total scores than boys and to score higher on internalizing problems. However, boys scored higher on externalizing problems.These results suggest that the mental health challenges of teens throughout the world are similar in many ways. Or as Verhulst and his team wrote in their study report: “Adolescents from different countries responded in fairly similar ways to the problem items of the Youth Self-Report, despite large variations in language, customs, religion, socioeconomic circumstances, and health care systems.”Some Differences RevealedIn contrast, the study did reveal some interesting differences among youth in the seven countries. For instance, youth in China, Australia, and the Netherlands showed the steepest increases with age on scores for internalizing problems, externalizing problems, attention problems, and delinquent behavior, whereas young people in Israel showed the smallest increases with age on scores for such problems.Regarding somatic complaint scores, teens in Australia, China, and Jamaica showed an increase with age, whereas youth in the Netherlands and Turkey did not, and teens in Israel and the United States actually showed a decline. On the social-problem front, boys scored higher than girls in Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, and the United States, whereas girls scored higher in China, Jamaica, and Turkey.The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Sophia Foundation for Medical Research, the Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation, and the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund.The study, “Comparisons of Problems Reported by Youths From Seven Countries,” is posted on the Web at http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/160/8/1479?. ▪ Am J Psychiatry 2003 160 1479 ISSUES NewArchived

Long, Sunny Days Linked To Suicide Incidence

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Clinical & Research NewsFull AccessLong, Sunny Days Linked To Suicide IncidenceJoan Arehart-TreichelJoan Arehart-TreichelSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:20 Jun 2003https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.38.12.0026Now that the longest days of the year are here, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, many people are rejoicing. After all, sunlight is a tonic for most people’s mental health, especially for those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder.Ironically, however, spring and summer seem to have a baleful effect on the psyches of other people. Both the severity of endogenous depression and the incidence of suicide peak in the spring and summer months. The evidence comes from several studies conducted in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres over the past quarter-century.But what is it about spring and summer that triggers depression or suicide in certain people? It may well be exposure to bright sunlight, an Australian study reported in the April American Journal of Psychiatry suggests. The study links suicide not only with spring and summer, but also with the prevailing levels of sunlight.Gavin Lambert, Ph.D., a research fellow at the Baker Heart Research Institute in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and his colleagues reasoned that if severity of depression and suicide incidence peak in the spring and summer, there must be some meteorological cue associated with these two seasons that alters brain activity and thus triggers depression or suicidal tendencies.To identify that cue, the researchers looked at the frequency of suicide in the state of Victoria in the 1990s and whether suicide frequency could be linked with a particular meteorological factor.Through the Office of the State Coroner of Victoria and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, they learned that 5,706 suicides had occurred in Victoria from 1990 to 1999. They obtained detailed meteorological data about the weather in Victoria from 1990 to 1999 from the Australian Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology in Melbourne. The data included average daily temperatures, average daily atmospheric pressures, daily amounts of rainfall, and hours of bright sunlight daily.They found that the incidence of suicide was highest in the spring and summer months and lowest in the winter ones. They then looked at whether there was any association between this seasonal pattern and seasonal variations in temperature, atmospheric pressure, rainfall, and bright sunlight. They found a correlation for bright sunlight, but not for the other factors. Seasonal fluctuations in suicides closely paralleled seasonal fluctuations in bright sunlight (see graph). This pattern was particularly marked for violent suicides.Thus, “the incidence of suicide in southeastern Australia displays a clear seasonal pattern, being positively linked with prevailing levels of sunlight,” Lambert and his group concluded.But why? Lambert told Psychiatric News that the neurotransmitter serotonin is probably involved, since he and his colleagues have found a link between bright sunlight and brain levels of serotonin in healthy human subjects and since some other researchers have found serotonin disturbances in the brains and cerebrospinal fluids of suicide completers. How serotonin might trigger suicidal behavior in certain people, however, is far from clear.The investigation was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Wellcome Trust, and the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund.The study, “Increased Suicide Rate in the Middle-Aged and Its Association With Hours of Sunlight,” is posted on the Web at http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/160/4/793?. ▪ Am J Psychiatry 2003 160 793 ISSUES NewArchived

OLDER PEOPLE: THE EFFECT OF ACTIVITIES ON THEIR SOCIAL INTERACTIONS

ABSTRACTThis exploratory study, funded by the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund, investigated the factors affecting the social interactions of older people.The study was based on interviews with one hundred people aged 65 years and over to determine their past activities, present pursuits and the activities, if any, in which they would like to be involved.This article, the second of two, examines the results relating to the activities and social interactions of older people.