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Projects focused on children’s emotional health

We are investigating the emotional health challenges faced by younger children and adolescents, and developing better treatment strategies to assist them.

Discover our projects and the research teams behind each one.

Study Without Stress online student platform

Funded by: James N Kirby Foundation

This project addresses the high levels of stress in senior high school students which can lead to reduced academic performance, absenteeism, and clinical levels of depression and anxiety. Macquarie University has shown that stress, anxiety and depression increase through Year 12 with more than 30 per cent reporting clinically severe distress prior to exams.

The Study without Stress program (SWoS) was developed to address this by teaching senior school students practical strategies to manage stress, time, procrastination and perfectionism, expectations about their ability and the future and solve problems related to managing academic tasks. While widely used, teachers report that they do not have enough time to deliver the eight-week program face-to-face to the high number of students in need.

Based on their feedback, developing SWoS Online will free up their time, enable delivery to more students simultaneously, reduce reliance on students bringing in their workbooks, and would enable students to catch up on missed lessons easily. It would also enable timely updates to the program based on current research and adaptations for special populations (e.g. CALD). This project will develop SWoS Online.

Preventing the return of fear using memory re-consolidation mechanisms

Full title: Translating experimental neuroscience into clinical treatment: preventing the return of fear in youth with anxiety disorders using memory re-consolidation mechanisms

Funded by: Australian Rotary Health

With up to half of youth with anxiety problems either failing to respond or relapsing, there is a clear need to improve treatment.

This study will investigate new techniques to improve the treatment of clinically significant fears of public speaking in children, by examining whether conducting exposure therapy during a time when fear memories are labile (ie during the memory reconsolidation window) can produce a more long-lasting reduction of fear.

Experimental research shows promising results for using this naturally-occurring memory process to enhance fear reduction, however this is one of the first clinical studies to examine its potential for reducing real-world fears.

Learn more about this project.

Contact: publicspeakingfears@mq.edu.au or +61 (2) 9850 8596.

Reducing cyberbullying

Funded by: Australian Research Council (ARC)

Bystanders can play an important role in preventing cyberbullying and providing support to its victims. Cyber Bystanders Intervention Training (CyBIT) aims to develop high school students’ constructive defending through online interactive training.

The CyBIT study is currently recruiting schools with students in years seven to nine, to participate in the study. Participation includes:

  • a pre-intervention survey
  • a six-week intervention training
  • a post-intervention survey conducted at school.

If you would like your school to be involved in CyBIT, contact bystanders@mq.edu.au.

Contact: bystanders@mq.edu.au

Reaching children with anxiety through a school-based online program

Full title: Reaching vulnerable children with anxiety through a new school-based online program: Cool Kids Online at School

Funded by: James N Kirby Foundation

This project aims to conduct a small pilot trial to examine the feasibility and efficacy of a school-based version of Cool Kids Online, facilitated by school counsellors and rolled out within NSW schools.

The Cool Kids Online program provides gold-standard mental health care for anxious children. However, the current program is parent-led and completed at home, which limits access for children identified by schools as struggling but whose parents are unable to work with them on the program.

Lauren McLellan

Contact: lauren.mclellan@mq.edu.au

Helping anxious young people who do not respond fully to standard CBT

Full title: Helping anxious children and adolescents who do not respond fully to standard cognitive behaviour therapy

Funded by: Growing Minds Australia (GMA)

According to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), the first line of treatment for anxious young people should be a scientifically tested cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) program, such as Cool Kids.

Unfortunately, some young people do not respond to this treatment as much as their families hope. In these cases, the RANZCP recommends treatment with a course of antidepressant medication (SSRI). However, this combination – CBT followed by SSRI – has not been scientifically evaluated.

The aim of this pilot study is to begin to evaluate whether young people who do not respond fully to treatment with Cool Kids, might get further benefits by a course of SSRI medication.

Contact: ron.rapee@mq.edu.au