Research Supervisor Connect
This is a longitudinal study on the effects of puberty hormones on adolescent behaviour, mood and wellbeing which has excellent opportunities for multi-disciplinary research
Professor Katharine Steinbeck.
Dubbo/Orange - School of Rural Health
Masters/PHD
The ARCHER (Adolescent Rural Cohort on Hormones, Education, Environment, Health and Relationships) has enrolled 350 early adolescents and their families (10% of whom are Indigenous) in a study which looks at the true effect of puberty hormones on adolescent mood, behaviour and wellbeing (www.archerstudy.org.au). Questionnaire data, anthropometry, annual blood and three monthly urine samples are collected over three years with final data collection in early 2016. Questionnaires cover puberty change, education, sleep, social competency, risk taking behaviours, mood and affect, conduct disorders, physical activity, nutrition, chronic illness, sexuality and injury. Parent information includes the child behaviour checklist, social connectivity, parenting, stressors and the impacts of rural living. It is planned that this cohort study will continue into mid-late adolescence and address new questions on cardiovascular risk factors, unintentional injury, mood and anxiety, sleep, social media, parenting, the development of social capital and the impacts of rural environments. The full protocol of the study can be viewed at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2431/12/143. Interested researchers are encouraged to read the protocol to understand the breadth of this study which has already produced a large amount of data and which provides research opportunities in many areas of adolescent health and wellbeing. The biobank of ARCHER samples includes blood, urine and DNA, and applications for further collaborative research projects are invited.
The ARCHER research team is looking for PhD candidates who are able to live in the study area. For successful applicants there is the possibility of receiving a supplement of up to $6000 pa in addition to the standard PhD stipend rates. See this poster for detailed information.
The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 1265