ReSeaRch centRe foR aPPlied PSychology (RecaP) - Health ...

School of Psychology and Speech Pathology ReCAP ANNUAL REPORT 2011
7
AUSSIE
OPTIMISM
Chief Researchers: Associate Professor Clare Roberts
Funded by:
Mental Health Commission WA
Project Term: 2006 to June 2012
Total funding: $902,875
The Aussie Optimism Program is comprised of three
classroom based packages: (1) Positive Thinking Skills
(grade 4-5), (2) Social Life Skills (grade 5-7), and (3)
Optimistic Thinking Skills (grade 6-8), and a stand-alone
parent and family program designed to help parents and
families talk about difficult subject matters such as bullying
and peer pressure.
The Aussie Optimism Program is an evidence based mental
illness prevention program with a solid research background
and a proven track record with respect to the prevention
of mental health problems such as internalising problems,
depression and anxiety, and health risk behaviours such
as drinking, and smoking in upper primary school children
and young adolescents. The Program also aims to enhance
the capacity of schools to promote social and emotional
wellbeing. The program is designed for young adolescents
who are transitioning to high school. Two programs are
useful for this group – Social Life Skills which involves social
skills and competence, and Optimistic Thinking Skills, which
attends to student’s thinking styles and cognitions. These
skills sets are important in the early adolescence phase
as this is a time of change of schools, friends, socialising
and increased academic pressure. The Social Life Skills
and Optimistic Skills programs have been evaluated in
randomised controlled trials.
STEPPING STONES - PREVENTING
CHALLENGING BEHAVIOURS IN
CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
Chief Researchers: Associate Professor Clare Roberts,
in collaboration with Professor
Matt Sanders (University of
Queensland)
Funded by: Healthway
Project Term: 2008 to May 2011
Total funding: $317,333
This research continues the development and validation of a
multi-level parenting intervention system, Stepping Stones
Triple P (SSTP), for families of children with disabilities.
The first individual family version of SSTP was developed
from a Healthway grant in 1998, with collaboration from
the WA Disability Services Commission, Curtin University’s
School of Psychology, and the Parenting and Family Support
Centre at the University of Queensland. This individual
family–based prevention program resulted in lower levels
of challenging behaviours, enhanced parenting skills, and
reduced parental stress (Roberts, Mazzuchelli, Studman and
Sanders, 2006).
Two accessible and cost effective intervention formats,
Group SSTP and Self-directed SSTP have now been developed
to add to the range of prevention program formats that
are available to families of children with disabilities. This
research proposes to evaluate these new prevention formats
in a randomised controlled trial comparing effects to a
waitlist control group. Both interventions aim to reduce and
prevent child behaviour problems, by enhancing parenting
skills and self-efficacy, and reducing parental stress.
Such multi-level parenting interventions form part of the
population health framework of the 2003 - 2008 National
Mental Health Plan, and are widely available to families of
typically developing children. Such a system has not been
widely available to families of children with disabilities,
despite the increased risks that are present for these
families. If effective, the two intervention programs should
reduce the prevalence, burden and costs of challenging
behaviour in children with an intellectual disability. This
project is due for completion this year.