A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Ragan Petrie, The University of Melbourne and Marco Castillo Since 2008, Australia has spent more than A$11 billion dollars over ten years to expand government-funded preschool (or kinder in Victoria) for four-year-olds to better prepare children for school. But as our new study finds, to date, there is no rigorous evidence to suggest this investment [...]
Mandie Shean, Edith Cowan University Bullying is unfortunately a common problem in Australian schools, with surveys suggesting one in five teenagers are bullied. While schools are responsible for ensuring a safe environment, parents are likely to be distressed and unsure about what to do if their child is being bullied. What exactly is bullying? And [...]
Benjamin Hanckel, Western Sydney University; Amelia Henry; Erin Dolan, The University of Melbourne, and Jasbeer Musthafa Mamalipurath, Western Sydney University Young people experience mental health difficulties at a higher rate than any other age group. While there’s ongoing discussion about the formal supports they need, young people say they’re most likely to speak with peers [...]
Phoebe Quinn, The University of Melbourne and Katitza Marinkovic Chavez, The University of Melbourne Many young people feel anxious, powerless, sad and angry about climate change. Although there are some great resources on children’s eco-anxiety and climate distress, the vast majority are designed for and by adults. So, what resources do children and young people [...]
Rebecca English, Queensland University of Technology An increasing number of Australian families are educating their children at home, either through homeschooling or distance education. My research highlights how some parents are not necessarily choosing to homeschool for religious reasons or because they want to hothouse their kids. Nor are they doing it as their first [...]
Stacy Blythe, Western Sydney University and Emma Elcombe, Western Sydney University Foster and kinship carers are volunteers who provide day-to-day care to children who are unable to live safely with their parents. A kinship carer is someone who is either related to the child or has a previous relationship with the child (such as a [...]
Summer May Finlay, University of Wollongong; Ee Pin Chang, The University of Western Australia; Jemma Collova, The University of Western Australia, and Pat Dudgeon, The University of Western Australia This article contains information on violence experienced by First Nations young people in the Australian carceral system. There are mentions of racist terms, and this piece [...]
Gemma Sharp, Monash University and Nichola Rumsey, University of the West of England Although we cannot be sure of the exact numbers of Australians undergoing cosmetic procedures, as there is no requirement for health professionals to report their statistics, there is a consensus demand is on the rise. In 2015, the Cosmetic Physicians College of [...]
Josephine Barbaro, La Trobe University and Marie Camin, La Trobe University With better awareness and acceptance, approximately one out of every 50 children is receiving an autism diagnosis. More and more families are deciding when to share this information with their child. Some parents worry that doing so will “label” their child, or make [...]
Daniel Hermens, Jim Lagopoulos and Zack Shan, University of the Sunshine Coast Despite the best efforts of clinicians and researchers for decades, we still do not fully know why some people develop mental disorders and others do not. However, changes in the brain are very likely our best clues to future mental health outcomes. The [...]
