Child and Youth Mental Health Research Group - Current projects

COVID-19 Unmasked Young Children: A longitudinal study to understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children (1-5 years) and their caregivers

The aim of this study is to advance understanding of the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children (1-5 years) and their families. The online survey was completed on 4 occasions (active stage of pandemic and again 3-, 6-, and 12-months following the first survey) to (1) understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the social and emotional wellbeing of infants and pre-schoolers, (2) determine what impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on parent’s mental health, and (3) identify the risk and protective factors for child mental health outcomes.  Parallel COVID-19 Unmasked projects were also conducted in the USA, UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.

Primary investigator: Dr Alexandra De Young (CHQ/UQ)

Associate investigators: Elisabeth Hoehn, Christel Middledorp, Vanessa Cobham, Mira Vasileva, Eva Alisic, Sonja March, Caroline Donovan

COVID-19 Unmasked: 0-5 Clinical population

The aim of this project is to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the wellbeing of young children and their caregivers in treatment at Children’s Health Queensland 0-4 Child and Youth Mental Health Service (0-4 CYMHS).  The project is also evaluating the impact of the change in mental health service delivery (i.e. face-to-face vs telehealth) has had on consumers and their clinicians.

Primary investigator: Dr Alexandra De Young

Associate investigators: Dr Elisabeth Hoehn, Prof Christel Middeldorp

COVID-19 mental health survey: 6-18 clinical population

As part of clinical practice, parents of children and adolescents treated in CYMHS are asked to complete a questionnaire about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their circumstances, mental health and the treatment they receive. If parents consent, the data are also analysed for research to explore the impact of the pandemic and use the results to improve the services provided. Parents will be followed longitudinally to investigate whether changes in the COVID-19 circumstances change their needs.

Primary investigator: Prof Christel Middeldorp

Associate investigators: Dr William Bor, A/Prof Vanessa Cobham, A/Prof Stephen Stathis

PRE-EMPT “PREdiction of Early Mental Disorder and Preventive Treatment” Centre of Research Excellence

This project is led by Professor Barnaby Nelson, Orygen, melbourne and is a partnership with researchers at Telethon Kids Institute (Associate Professor Ashleigh Lin), University of Adelaide (Dr Scott Clark), University of Queensland (Professor Christel Middeldorp), University of Groningen (Netherlands) (Professor Hanneke Wigman) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany) (Professor Nikolaos Koutsouleris). The CRE will deliver a program of work examining how mental illnesses develop, and identifying risk and protective factors. The UQ/CHQ CYMHS research group focuses on the role of genetic factors in the development and course of mental illnesses.

Investigators: Christel Middeldorp, Enda Byrne, and Naomi Wray

Improving outcomes in mental health. A longitudinal clinical study in children and their families

This project aims to increase knowledge on factors influencing the outcome of childhood and adolescent psychopathology and to improve outcomes by investigating treatment strategies for families in which both parents and children suffer from mental health symptoms.

In families with children referred for child and youth mental health symptoms, we will collect information on a broad variety of factors that may be related to treatment outcome, includingchildren’s and parental symptoms, cognitive functioning, family environment, leisure time activities and biological samples. We will carry out a trial to establish the effect of a parenting program that provide parents with tools to improve problem behavior in children and to cope with associated stressors. Families will be followed till at least 18 months after the first assessment. The results will show whether the parenting program is beneficial for both the parents and the child. They will also show which other factors also influence outcome, providing leads for other ways to improve treatment strategies.

Principal Investigator​s: Christel Middeldorp, Honey Heussler, Matthew Sanders and Professor Naomi Wray

Interviewing young people for a forensic risk assessment

This is a joint project with the Centre for Excellence in Investigative Interviewing, Griffith University. This project aims to explore how clinician's undertake assessment interviews with young people during a forensic risk assessment.  The study explores the techniques and strategies used by clinicians' while interviewing young people who may engage in, or be at risk of, offending behaviour.  The intended benefits of the research include identifying best practice approaches and potential training needs for clinicians.  It is anticipated that this research will form the foundation of a best practice interview protocol that may improve the quality of risk assessments with young people.

Principal Investigators: Dr Chelsea Leach and Professor Martine Powell

Associate Investigators: Associate Professor Scott Harden, Tasneem Hasan, Francesca Brown, Luke Pryor and Kym Robinson.

Exploring profiles of young people referred for a threat assessment with an adolescent forensic mental health service

The overall aim of the research is to provide a better understanding and description of young people considered a threat to others.  By exploring how young people referred for a threat assessment may be similar or different to young people referred for violence risk assessment.  It is anticipated that the research will lead to an increased insight into the limitation and generalisability of existing risk assessment research, as well as identify potential areas for effective intervention with this group.

Principal Investigator: Dr Chelsea Leach

Associate Investigators: Associate Professor Scott Harden, Tasneem Hasan, Ashley Heath, Carla Newcombe, Jordana Hayes, Michelle Johnston, Amaris En-Hui Tok, Associate Professor Bruce Watt and Shannon Logan.

Service evaluation

Principal Investigators: William Bor, Michael Daubney, Kathy Eadie, Christel Middeldorp, Olivia Donaghy, Tania Withington, Leanne Payne, Madeleine Pearl, Daniel Wilson, Daniel Sullivan

Routine outcome measures are collected at regular time points during treatment in CYMHS. These data are analysed to investigate the effect of the treatment as well as factors related to treatment outcome, such as gender, age, diagnosis. The results inform the development of improved treatment strategies that will then be tested for their outcomes. 

Improving Staff Wellbeing at a specialist mental health service for children in care

The aim of the study is to assess compassion satisfaction and fatigue using a mixed methods approach. Staff work in a very challenging environment with children and young people in out-of-home care with complex mental health issues. Self care and team support is important for managing burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Recommendations to improve wellbeing for staff will be made to the State-wide program.

Principal Investigator: Kathy Eadie. Associate Investigator: Warren Bergh

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an electronic mindfulness-based intervention to improve maternal mental health in the peripartum: A randomised controlled trial

Dr A De Young (QCPIMH)

Prevalence and evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a screen and targeted early intervention for young children impacted by natural disasters

Dr A Baldwin., Dr E Hoen., Dr A De Young (QCPIMH)

SMS4Perinatal Parents

The Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (QCPIMH) in collaboration with the University of Newcastle Family Action Centre (UNFAC) are undertaking a feasibility study in Queensland, that will trial a digital mental health promotion and prevention intervention for parents, who are at greater risk of experiencing emotional distress in the perinatal period (pregnancy and early parenthood). The project, SMS for Perinatal Parents (SMS4PP) will develop, implement and evaluate the provision of information and mental health support, via the use of smart phone text messaging (SMS) to women with an infant less than six months of age, who have been diagnosed with perinatal mental illness, and their partners.

Principal Investigator: Dr Elisabeth Hoehn (QCPIMH)

Associate Investigators: Ms Catherine Rawlinson (QCPIMH), Dr Richard Fletcher (UNFAC)

Developing Educator Capacity to Support Young Children’s Approaches to Processing the Emotional Impacts of Environmental Disasters

The project develops, implements, and evaluates a professional learning program to complement a Resource Guide for Early Childhood Education and Care Services and the use of Birdie’s tree resources by early childhood educators to support young children’s disaster resilience. This is achieved through engaging with a professional learning program designed to support the educators to embed Disaster Resilience Education principles into their everyday practice. The research aims to investigate the impact this whole-of-centre intervention on early childhood educators, as well as exploring the educators experience of delivering the program. 

Principal Investigator Sharleen Keleher (CQUniversity)

Associate Investigators Dr Anita Nepean-Hutchison (Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, Child and Youth Mental Health Service); Dr Elisabeth Hoehn (Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, Child and Youth Mental Health Service); Professor Alison Elliott (CQUniversity); Associate Professor Gillian Busch (CQUniversity)

e-PIMH Telepsychiatry

The Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (QCPIMH) commissioned The University of Queensland’s Centre for Online Health to evaluate an innovative telepsychiatry service known as electronic perinatal and infant mental health (e-PIMH). The first two health services where e-PIMH was implemented were South West Hospital and Health Service (SW HHS) and Central West Hospital and Health Service (CW HHS). Research questions for the evaluation were:

1. How do the characteristics of e-PIMH address the identified health need?

2. Do remote clinicians perceive that e-PIMH is an effective way to support them in providing PIMH care to families?

3. What organisational aspects facilitate or hinder implementation of the e-PIMH model of care?

4. How transferable is the e-PIMH model of care to other services and HHSs?

The Centre for Online Health is now evaluating the roll out of the service in Torres and Cape HHS.

Transition to Parenthood

A research project focused on developing, evaluating and documenting a program of antenatal and postnatal education that incorporates a focus on mental health and emotional wellness, includes a lived experience perspective, and helps parents develop an awareness of infant mental health. The education program has been collaboratively developed and delivered by clinical personnel, non-government organisations, and peer support workers with lived experience of perinatal mental health recovery. The research trial was delivered through the Women and Newborns Service at Redcliffe Hospital, which continues to implement the program. Participating mothers reported a reduction in depression, anxiety and stress, and an increase in parenting confidence, from pre to post program.

Principal Investigator: Dr Elisabeth Hoehn

Associate Investigator: Dr Andrea Baldwin

Together in Mind, a perinatal and infant mental health day program

Together in Mind is a collaborative community based day program for mothers with moderate to severe mental illness and their infants. Coordinated by QCPIMH and funded under the Queensland Mental Health Plan (2016-2021), the  program has been successfully implemented in 9 HHS sites across Queensland to the end of 2019. A further 4 sites are to be established in 2020-21.

Research data has been successively collated from the current operating sites reporting statistically significant results in the following areas:

• Maternal mental health (anxiety, depression and stress)
• Parenting confidence
• Maternal - infant attachment
• Infant social-emotional development.

Principal Investigator: Dr Elisabeth Hoehn

Associate Investigators: Ms Catherine Rawlinson, Ms Adrienne Irvine, Dr William Bor