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Premier’s Science Awards finalists recognised for work in physical activity, cancer and mental healthFour The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers from a diverse range of fields have been named as finalists for the prestigious 2022 Premier’s Science Awards.
Research
Puberty suppression in transgender children and adolescentsWe review the available empirical evidence on the cognitive, physical, and surgical implications of puberty suppression in gender-incongruent children and adolescents
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Effectiveness, efficacy, acceptability, and feasibility of trauma-informed depression, anxiety, and substance use prevention programs for young people aged 12–25 yearsMental ill-health and substance use bear significant public health burden on young people. Prevention is key. Trauma-informed approaches to prevention of mental ill-health and substance use demonstrate significant promise, yet it is unclear how well existing approaches work for young people targeting mental ill-health and substance use. This review aimed to assess the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of trauma-informed mental ill-health and/or substance use prevention programs for young people.
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Twenty-five is not a neurobiologically determined age of maturity for gender-affirming medical decision-makingAmong the increasing threats to the healthcare of transgender and gender-diverse people globally, are efforts to deny gender-affirming medical care to people under age 25 typically justified by stating that the human brain is not developed until the mid-to-late 20's. Thus, this line of reasoning states young adults are not sufficiently mature to be responsible for autonomous healthcare decision-making— at least in regard to gender-affirming care.
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Neurodivergence, intersectionality, and eating disorders: a lived experience-led narrative reviewAutistic people and those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are at a high risk of developing an eating disorder. While there is limited evidence on the relationship between other forms of neurodivergence and eating disorders, research suggests associations between giftedness, intellectual disability, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychosis, Tourette's syndrome, and disordered eating.
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Parents’ Disclosure of Their Child’s Health and Neurodevelopmental Conditions: A Systematic Review and Qualitative MetasynthesisParents of children with physical/mental health and/or neurodevelopmental conditions often need to make disclosure decisions for their child. Disclosure can bring benefits (e.g., support) but can also risk harm (e.g., stigma). This systematic review aimed to consolidate research regarding parents' disclosure experiences to better understand how to support parents during this process.
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The parent empowerment scale: development and psychometric propertiesParents of trans and gender diverse (herein ‘trans’) children experience additional challenges in their parenting role relative to parents of cisgender children. Understanding and enhancing parents’ empowerment is a promising approach to support both parents and children. We aimed to develop an empowerment scale specific to parents of trans children, grounded in parents’ lived experiences.
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Developmental queer and trans actualizations: A clear pathway to promoting health and well-being for sexually and gender diverse youthMinority stress models and trauma-focused approaches have predominated our understanding and responses to health disparities among sexually and gender diverse (SGD) young people for more than 30 years. While the impacts and root causes of adversities are undoubtedly critical for promoting SGD health and well-being, it is important to highlight strengths-based narratives of the lives of SGD youth.
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The Investigation of Health-Related Topics on TikTok: A Descriptive Study ProtocolThe social media application TikTok allows users to view and upload short-form videos. Recent evidence suggests it has significant potential for both industry and health promoters to influence public health behaviours. This protocol describes a standardised, replicable process for investigations that can be tailored to various areas of research interest, allowing comparison of content and features across public health topics.
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Psychological Wellbeing Amongst Parents of Trans Children: An in-Depth Qualitative InvestigationResearch has shown that parents of trans children face numerous challenges as they navigate their parenting role, however, little is known about the impact of these challenges on parents’ psychological wellbeing.