Biostatistician & Project Leader
BSc(Hons) MSc PhD
Areas of expertise: design of group-randomised trials; evaluation of school-based health promotion programs; instrument testing
Thérèse is an experienced quantitative researcher with over 20 years' experience as a consultant biostatistician. She has lectured in biostatistics and research methods within postgraduate public health programs and has co-supervised a number of PhD students to completion. Her major research focus is on the rigorous design and evaluation of school-based health promotion programmes.
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Publications
September 2021
Strengthening student social and emotional wellbeing and preventing bullying behaviours: Insights from 20 years of Friendly Schools research in Australian schools.
Strong evidence supports our current understandings of student bullying behaviours and ways schools can prevent and respond effectively to bullying behaviour. In the late 1990’s, however, little was understood about the most effective ways to reduce bullying in Australian schools. In response to schools’ need for evidence-informed action, a pipeline of research called Friendly Schools was initiated in 1999 which for the past twenty years, has provided robust whole-school evidence-based knowledge and skills to support policy makers, school staff and other practitioners working in schools and families across Australia.
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community Wellbeing School Attendance Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Young People Youth mental healthMay 2020Combining whole-school and targeted programs for the reduction of bullying victimization: A randomized, effectiveness trial
The current effectiveness trial evaluated the combination of a whole-school program designed to prevent bullying perpetration and victimization
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community WellbeingSeptember 2019Moral Disengagement of Pure Bullies and Bully/Victims: Shared and Distinct Mechanisms
This study advances bullying research by extending the role of moral disengagement in bullying episodes beyond pure bullies to victims, both pure victims and bully/victims
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community WellbeingJuly 2019Telling an Adult at School about Bullying: Subsequent Victimization and Internalizing Problems
To prevent persistent victimization, schools and teachers need to be better equipped to respond effectively when a student first becomes a target of bullying
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community WellbeingJune 2019Positive veteran teachers: Who are they, and where are they to be found?
This article reports on a study in Australia which sought to utilise the characteristics to identify positive veteran teachers within a larger cohort
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingMay 2019Still keen and committed: piloting an instrument for identifying positive veteran teachers
Initial findings suggest the potential of the instrument in helping identifying positive veteran teachers within systems, as well as the voracity of the research approach
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingApril 2019The provision of alcohol and breastfeeding information by maternal health practitioners in the Australian setting
Despite the existence of a national alcohol guideline for breastfeeding women, maternal health practitioners are not incorporating this advice
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Breastfeeding Human Development and Community Wellbeing Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD ResearchJanuary 2019Friendly Schools Universal Bullying Prevention Intervention: Effectiveness with Secondary School Students
This study demonstrates the importance of considering the effectiveness of secondary school bullying prevention interventions and real-world implementation support
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community WellbeingDecember 2018Impact of the Friendly Schools whole-school intervention on transition to secondary school and adolescent bullying behaviour
These findings demonstrate the immediate value of whole-school interventions to reduce bullying behaviour and associated harms among students
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community WellbeingOctober 2018Feasibility Testing and Refinement of a Supportive Educational Intervention for Carers of Patients with High-Grade Glioma — a Pilot Study
The aim of this pilot study was to test the feasibility and acceptability of a family carer intervention for carers of patients with high-grade glioma
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingSeptember 2018Beyond the reactive-proactive dichotomy: Rage, revenge, reward, and recreational aggression predict early high school bully and bully/victim status
We discuss the implications of addressing Revenge and Recreation, as well as Reward and Rage aggression motives, for bullying prevention and intervention strategies
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community WellbeingAugust 2018Child-parent agreement on alcohol-related parenting: Opportunities for prevention of alcohol-related harm
Parent non-supply of alcohol and disapproval of use were most important in terms of associations with ever drinking
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingJuly 2018Evaluation of a public education campaign to support parents to reduce adolescent alcohol use
The Parents, Young People and Alcohol campaign achieved high awareness and positively influenced parental outcomes
Published research Human Development and Community Wellbeing Youth HealthJune 2018RT Prepare: a radiation therapist-delivered intervention reduces psychological distress in women with breast cancer referred for radiotherapy
The RT Prepare intervention was effective in reducing breast cancer patients’ psychological distress and preparing patients for treatment
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingJune 2018Does the Risk Outweigh the Benefits? Adolescent Responses to Completing Health Surveys
Self-reported experiences of adolescents in population-based samples when completing health-related surveys on topics with varying potential for evoking distres
Published research Human Development and Community Wellbeing Youth HealthJanuary 2018Do carer’s levels of unmet needs change over time when caring for patients diagnosed with high-grade glioma and how are these needs correlated with distress?
The aim of the current study was to determine how carer needs changed longitudinally and understand associations between unmet needs and distress.
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingJanuary 2018Bullying and mental health amongst Australian children and young people with cystic fibrosis
This study describes the peer bullying experiences of young people with CF, and examines associations between school bullying and the psychological well-being of these young people
Cystic Fibrosis Published research Human Development and Community Wellbeing Youth Mental HealthJuly 2017Properties of the DASS-21 in an Australian Community Adolescent Population
This study evaluated for a multifactor structure in the DASS-21 teenagers and the specifics of the 3 subscales for teenagers in general at different stages.
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingJanuary 2017Distress and psychological morbidity do not reduce over time in carers of patients with high-grade glioma
his study aimed to determine how carer distress and psychological morbidity change over time following a patient's diagnosis of high-grade glioma
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingMarch 2016Longitudinal impact of the Cyber Friendly Schools program on adolescents' cyberbullying behavior
Cyber Friendly Schools program was associated with significantly greater declines in the odds of involvement in cyber-victimization and perpetration
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community WellbeingJanuary 2016Testing for Response Shift Bias in Evaluations of School Antibullying Programs
Researchers conducting program evaluations in other contexts are advised to consider testing for this potential source of bias in their studies
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community WellbeingSeptember 2015Protocol for the Care-IS Trial: a randomised controlled trial of a supportive educational intervention for carers of patients with high-grade glioma (HGG).
This paper outlines the objectives of a randomised control trial that will be conducted to investigate primary carers of those with high-grade glioma.
Children's Cancers Published research Depression and Anxiety Human Development and Community WellbeingJanuary 2015Predictors of distress and poorer quality of life in High Grade Glioma patients
To determine High Grade Glioma patients' levels of distress and quality of life during combined chemoradiotherapy, explore predictors of distress and quality...
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingJanuary 2015Evaluating the capacity of Australian school staff to recognise and respond to cyberbullying behaviours
To prevent and manage students' cyberbullying, school staff must be aware of this behavior, be able to recognize it, and respond appropriately and skilfully.
Published research Bullying Cyber Safety Human Development and Community WellbeingMarch 2014Bias in student survey findings from active parental consent procedures
This study assessed the potential bias present in a sample of actively consented students, and in the estimates of associations between variables obtained...
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingDecember 2013The Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS): Validity and Reliability Estimates for a Measure of Bullying Victimization and Perpetration in Adolescence
The study of bullying behavior and its consequences for young people depends on valid and reliable measurement of bullying victimization and perpetration.
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community Wellbeing