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Many children and their families, especially those from priority populations, experience barriers to accessing high-quality early childhood health, education, social and legal services. Further, these families are often under-represented in service planning and research; hence innovations are not designed to meet their needs. Our aim is to codesign with families and the wider community, a Strength-based, Tiered, Accessible Resources and Supports for Kids (STARS for Kids) programme to optimise child development, parental mental well-being, and family psychosocial needs in the first 2000 days from pregnancy to start of school
Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of non-optimal temperatures and heatwaves, posing risks to public health, especially for children and young people. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the impacts of (i) non-optimal ambient temperatures and (ii) heatwaves on mental health outcomes in this group globally.
This study investigated the effects of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training on the mental health of gender and sexually diverse young adults (aged 18–25 years) in Australia. A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2020–2022 comparing an online-delivered 8-week group MSC training program with a waitlist control.
Movement is at the core of human existence. For infants and children, exploratory movement offers a scaffold for important learning and development outcomes, and in adolescents and adults, regular activity is key for promoting good physical and mental health.
Globally, Indigenous people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, experience significantly poorer health outcomes than their non-Indigenous counterparts. In part, this can be attributed to the ongoing impacts of colonization, marginalization, and systemic discrimination. In the genomic healthcare era, Indigenous people remain underrepresented in public genetic health services, raising concerns about cultural competency and inclusivity within the genetic counseling profession.
This meta-analytic study examined the associations between childhood emotional abuse (CEA) history in adults and eleven emotion regulation abilities. Inclusion criteria were the use of validated and reliable multi-item measures, cross-sectional Pearson's correlation coefficient(s), and retrievable in English.
Trans and gender diverse (trans) young people experience higher rates of physical and mental ill-health due to chronic exposure to gender minority stress. Consequently, trans young people report higher health and mental healthcare service utilisation. Disconcertingly, negative experiences of healthcare services are prevalent among trans young people, especially those with additional marginalised identities and backgrounds who experience multiple forms of marginalisation.
First Nations women in Australia continue to experience disproportionately adverse maternal and infant outcomes. The ongoing legacy of colonisation and systemic racism shapes these outcomes. In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), maternity services remain dominated by Western biomedical approaches that fail to deliver culturally safe and anti-racist care despite national standards that mandate such practices.
There is a paucity of longitudinal research comparing early-life mental health in rural and metropolitan communities. Living in rural areas is associated with limited access to specialist care, as well as additional stresses such as natural disasters. To address health disparities for rural communities it is critical to understand variance in predictors and outcomes for child mental health.
Physical activity can support physical and mental health among children living with chronic health conditions; however, programmes must be tailored to their specific needs to support participation.