Postgraduate research projects - current

Health promotion for women regarding pelvic floor problems

Ms Catherine Hayden will be conducting focus groups with women resident in the city as well as in rural and remote areas regarding the information that they receive about pelvic floor exercises in the post-natal period. She intends to compare the Australian health services for new mothers with those in the UK and France and develop “train the trainer” information, which will be of great importance in regional areas of Australia.

Locus of control in offenders with intellectual disability and how that may relate to coping and life history

Matthew Raymond is a registered psychologist and is currently working in corrections as a co-therapist in a group treatment program for offenders with intellectual disability or other cognitive impairments. Matthew is investigating the locus of control in offenders with intellectual disability and how that may relate to coping and life history. More specifically, the study will look at how locus of control interacts with patterns of substance use, presence of mental illness and a history of childhood trauma in these individuals. The study will involve control group comparisons and will look into implications for treatment methodologies in this population.

Magistrate’s Early Referral Into Treatment (MERIT) Program

Sophie Rabone is a Forensic Psychologist working for the Magistrate’s Early Referral Into Treatment (MERIT) Program. The MERIT Program is a voluntary three-month pre-sentence treatment program for people with Local Court matters and substance use issues. Anecdotal reports from MERIT clinicians suggest that a number of people with mild intellectual disability (ID) and/or cognitive impairments (CI) access treatment through this program; however, there is currently no systematic screening conducted. Consequently, Sophie’s research is investigating the prevalence of ID/CI in people engaged with the MERIT Program by conducting comprehensive psychometric testing of participants. Additionally, Sophie’s research will explore whether ID/CI influences treatment completion rates, treatment outcomes, and re-offending rates. The MERIT Program has proven benefits for participants who complete the program, evidenced by reduced substance use and improved mental and physical health. However, previous research has found that certain subpopulations are less likely to engage in and complete the MERIT Program. Therefore, participants identified with ID/CI will be compared to other participants on several outcome measures. The aim of Sophie’s research is to improve our understanding of this disadvantaged population with comorbid ID/CI, substance use issues, and offending behaviour.

Evaluating Emotion-Based Social Skills Training (EBSST) for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder delivered in schools, in a larger treatment vs delayed treatment study

Belinda Ratcliffe is a Psychologist with a Masters in Clinical Psychology. Belinda is employed as a Research Clinical Psychologist at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and provides specialist assessment, diagnosis and treatment services to young people with social-communication disorders in her private practice. Belinda is first author of Emotion-Based Social Skills Training (EBSST) for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Mild Intellectual Disability (ID). This program was developed with colleagues at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, and was piloted as part of her role there, as well as her clinical masters. Belinda's current research focuses on evaluating EBSST for children with ASD delivered in schools, in a larger treatment vs delayed treatment study. Belinda is also interested in the relationship between social skills and emotional and behavioural problems in children with Autism, with and without intellectual disability.

How people with intellectual and psychological disabilities fare during police interviewing in the criminal justice system generally and especially suspects accused of sex offences

Sarah-Jayne Whiston is a Registered Psychologist in Australia and in the UK who is currently working in private practice as a psychologist and executive coach. Sarah-Jayne is studying how people with intellectual and psychological disabilities fare during police interviewing in the criminal justice system generally and especially suspects accused of sex offences. This work follows on from the Bradley report in the UK, which made several important recommendations for the appropriate management of potential suspects and victims with intellectual and psychological disabilities throughout their dealings with the police/court system. Sarah-Jayne is researching the application of these recommendations to the criminal justice system in Australia.