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Research
Trans Young People’s Experiences of Nonsuicidal Self-InjuryNonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is particularly common among trans young people. Trans young people tend to experience high levels of emotional distress due to the unique stressors they face, and often use NSSI as an emotion regulation strategy. These stressors include gender dysphoria, body image concerns, and transphobic experiences.
Research
Retrospective Examination of Peripubertal Return for Patients of Western Australia's Gender Diversity ServiceChildren far in advance of pubertal development may be deferred from further assessment for gender-affirming medical treatment until nearer puberty. It is vital that returning peripubertal patients are seen promptly to ensure time-sensitive assessment and provision of puberty suppression treatment where appropriate.
The Healing Kids, Healing Families team strives to understand how trauma and adverse circumstances can impact a child and their family, and how we can help them to recover from these experiences.
Research
Affirming schools, population-level data, and holistic public health are key to addressing mental ill-health and substance use disparities among gender and sexuality diverse young peopleYael Perry BPsych (Hons) MPsych (Clin) PhD Head, Youth Mental Health 08 6319 1298 yael.perry@thekids.org.au Head, Youth Mental Health @yaelperry she/
Research
The Positive Aspects of Being the Parent of a Trans Child: Findings from Trans PathwaysThe existing literature exploring the experiences of parenting a trans child tends toward reporting the challenging aspects of the parental journey. Studies also reference positive experiences such as enhanced parent-child connectedness and affirmation of personal values. Limited dedicated research focused on the positive aspects of parenting a trans child exists. We aimed to better understand positive parental experiences accordingly.
Research
Psychosocial and neurocognitive correlates of suicidal thoughts and behaviours amongst siblings of persons with and without neurodevelopmental conditionsSiblings of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) have greater incidence of neuropsychiatric diagnoses and neurocognitive difficulties compared to siblings of persons without NDCs. Despite suicidality being labelled a global health crisis (WHO, 2014) and NDC siblings experiencing risk factors implicated in suicidality, no previous studies examined suicidality amongst adolescent and young adult siblings of persons with NDCs. Our study aimed to bridge this gap.
Research
The Addition of Fish Oil to Cognitive Behavioral Case Management for Youth Depression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Clinical TrialClinical trials suggest that long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) (fish oil) may reduce depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder. Therefore, n-3 PUFAs may be a potential treatment for depression in youth.
Research
Physical activity interventions for the promotion of mental health outcomes in at-risk children and adolescents: a systematic reviewMany young people are exposed to risk factors that increase their risk of mental illness. Physical activity provision is an increasingly popular approach to protect against mental illness in the face of these risk factors. We examined the effectiveness of physical activity interventions for the promotion of mental health outcomes in at-risk children and adolescents.
Research
“It Just Makes You Feel Horrible”: A Thematic Analysis of the Stigma Experiences of Youth with Anxiety and DepressionExperiencing stigma is associated with a range of negative outcomes for people with mental health disorders. However, little is understood about the contemporary stigma experiences of young people with anxiety and depression. This study aimed to describe these experiences using semi-structured qualitative interviews.
Research
Neurocognitive and self-reported psychosocial and behavioral functioning in siblings of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions: a study using remote self-administered testingThis study compared and explored the neurocognitive profiles of siblings of persons with and without neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) and associations between objective test performance and self-reported psychosocial functioning.