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An investigation of parental mental health among the Aboriginal population in Western Australia, and its impact on children’s outcomes
Names of investigators
CIs: Prof Rhonda Marriott, Prof Fiona Stanley, Ass/Prof Roz Walker
AIs: Prof Nick De Klerk, Dr Carrington Shepherd, Dr Rebecca Glauert, Dr Marcello Quintero.
Project description
The main aims of this study are to use linked data to better understand the scale, nature and timing of mental health problems in Aboriginal children and their parents, and how these have changed over time; and to investigate the impact of a parent with mental health issues on health, behavioural and education developmental outcomes in Aboriginal children. This information forms part of the evidence base informing a larger, mixed methods study “Promoting positive perinatal mental health, parenting, cultural and spiritual wellbeing, and resilience in Aboriginal parents in Western Australia”; (ARC Discovery Indigenous Projects Grant #IN120100026) that aims to implement culturally appropriate and workable parenting skills education, health promotion and cultural resilience interventions to reduce the burden of perinatal mental health problems. This is a significant study which aims gauge the current state of mental health among Aboriginal parents and children, and how has this changed over time; the nature and magnitude of the relationship between the health (physical and mental) of Aboriginal children and the mental health of their parents. It also want to gauge the nature of the relationship between parental mental health and pregnancy outcomes, e.g. stillbirth, birthweight, gestational age and birth defects, disabilities including FASD, Aboriginal child abuse and neglect and their influence on contact with child protection services and/or the juvenile justice system and a detrimental impact on the school readiness and educational outcomes of Aboriginal children (including performance, attendance and suspensions) and links to suicide, alcohol, substance use and smoking.
Plain Language summary
This project aims to address some important gaps in the evidence base in the area of Aboriginal mental health, with a focus on the perinatal period. It will examine the type, scale and timing of mental health problems in Aboriginal children and their parents (and how these have changed over time) and provide insights into the causal pathways between the mental health problems of parents and the development of Aboriginal children in the early life course.
Funders of the project
NHMRC, Developmental Pathways Project
External collaborators
We work collaboratively with all WA government agencies who participated in the data linkage collection by several government departments and linked by the WA Data Linkage Branch (DLB) under the Developmental Pathways Project infrastructure. Government Agencies include branches of the Health, child protection, justice and education sectors and the coroners and midwives reporting branches.
Our Investigators
Fiona Stanley
FAA FASSA MSc MD FFPHM FAFPHM FRACP FRANZCOG HonDSc HonDUniv HonFRACGP HonMD HonFRCPCH HonLLB (honoris causa)