research

social & mental health aspects of serious illness

summary

Our research focus is emotional and social aspects of acute and chronic paediatric illness in infants, children, adolescents and their families.  Most group members are also employed as allied health, mental health or social work clinicians at the Royal Children's Hospital.

Our research programs include:

  • The impact of serious illness, medical trauma and hospital treatment on infant mental health and infant-parent relationships.
  • Identification and treatment of parent and family distress associated with severe childhood illness/injury.
  • Improving psychological and quality of life  outcomes for children with cancer and their families.
  • Music and sound as both a risk and a protective factor for critically ill newborn infants.
  • The impact of social vulnerability on paediatric illness, hospital experience and treatment outcomes.

group leader(s)

Brigid Jordan  A/Professor Brigid Jordan
  Social & Mental Health Aspects of Serious Illness
  Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
  Royal Children's Hospital
  Flemington Road
  Parkville Victoria 3052

  T +61 3 9345 4144
  F +61 3 9345 6667
  E brigid.jordan@rch.org.au

   group leader biography

current research projects

Project 1: The Impact of Cardiac Surgery on Infant and Family

This is a multi disciplinary research project exploring the impact of cardiac surgery on 100 infants who have had cardiac surgery in the first 3 months of life. Infants are being studied one month after hospital discharge and are followed up one year later. Both mothers and fathers complete a questionnaire that asks about infant and family stress, adjustment and relationships. Mothers and fathers also complete a semi-structured interview about issues such as infant feeding, sleeping and play behaviour, parent's perception of the illness, surgery and hospital experience on the emotional health of the baby, the impact on the parent-baby relationship, the most stressful aspects of the hospital experience and what was most helpful in dealing with the stresses.

Project 2: Improving psychologically and quality of life outcomes for children with cancer and their families

This clinical psycho-oncology research program is undertaking translational research aimed at extending knowledge of the short and long-term child and family level impacts of childhood cancer, and identifying approaches to improve overall quality of life outcomes.  Partnering with the Victorian Department of Health, the Ponting Foundation has pledged funding over 3 years to improve the psychological wellbeing and quality of life outcomes for children with cancer and their families. This grant will support the development of a leading psycho-oncology program with high quality research staff and national and international collaborations.

Project 3: Take a Breath: Identification and Treatment of Parent and Family Distress associated with severe childhood illness/injury

The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and The Parenting Research Centre are collaborating on a project which will improve psychosocial support for families following diagnosis of a life threatening childhood illness/injury. The Take a Breath project is being conducted across 4 hospital departments: Cancer, Cardiology, Neurology, and the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. The aims of the project are to: 1) undertake a longitudinal survey to identify the psychosocial risk factors in families with a child with a serious childhood illness/injury; and 2) assess if a newly developed parent intervention leads to improvements in psychosocial distress for parents of children with a life threatening illness, via a randomised controlled trial.

Project 4: Music and sound as both risk and protective factors for high risk infants hospitalised at birth. 

This multi-faceted research accounts for the auditory environment of hospitals, recorded music and live singing as auditory stimulation for medically fragile newborn infants.  This research explores the pivotal role of the mother and her voice in providing a safe source of intersubjective experience, which may sustain attachment and the infant's neuropsychological development. Related research by this team extends the understanding of the impact of recorded lullaby music on infant sleep.

Project 5: Child and Parents at Hospital: Improving Health and Well-being (The CAP@H Project).

The effect of cumulative stress and trauma on children and families has been shown to lead to compromised outcomes in health and well-being for the child and the family.  Acute paediatric health services, like RCH, play a unique role assisting families who have experienced stress and trauma in addition to the time their child spends in hospital. 
This study aims improve our understanding of the experience of families who have experienced cumulative stress and trauma and to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a model of Enhanced Care.  
Our overall aim is to improve services for families.

team members

  • Natalie Beattie - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
  • Lucy Bourke - Research Assistant
  • Kylie Burke - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
  • Warren Cann - HONORARY FELLOW
  • Megan Chapman - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
  • Amy Coe - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
  • Nichola Coombs - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
  • Cinzia De Luca - Research Officer
  • Anica Dimovski - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
  • Nathan Dowling - RESEARCH ASSISTANT
  • Deborah Eyles - Research Officer
  • Libby Ferguson - PhD Student (UoM Paeds)
  • Candice Franich-Ray - Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Ellen Gentle - Research Assistant
  • Jessica Green - Research Assistant
  • Simone Hearps - Research Assistant
  • Stephen Hearps - Research Assistant/Data Analyst
  • Maria Mccarthy - HONORARY FELLOW MANAGER
  • Bronwyn Mcfadyen - PhD Student (UoM Nursing&S/Work)
  • Sue Morse - RESEARCH AFFILIATE
  • Frank Muscara - POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
  • Campbell Paul - HONORARY FELLOW
  • Laura Pejnovic - Research Assistant
  • Karin Plummer - PhD Student (UoM Nursing)
  • Jenny Re - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
  • Helen Stewart - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
  • Frances Thomson Salo - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
  • Nicole Tokatlian - PhD Student (UoM SocialWork)
  • Nicola Watt - RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
  • Lauren Williams - Postdoctoral Research Fellow
  • Claudia Woolf - Master of Psychology (UoM Psych)

publications

  • Anderson PJ., De Luca CR., Hutchinson E., Spencer-Smith MM., Roberts G., Doyle LW. Attention Problems in a Representative Sample of Extremely Preterm/Extremely Low Birth Weight Children. DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY 36 (1) : 57 - 73(2011) PubMed
  • Beauchamp M., Catroppa C., Godfrey C., Morse S., Rosenfeld JV., Anderson V. Selective Changes in Executive Functioning Ten Years After Severe Childhood Traumatic Brain Injury. DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY 36 (5) : 578 - 595(2011) PubMed
  • Knight SJ., Northam EA., Cameron FJ., Ambler GR. Behaviour and metabolic control in children with Type1 diabetes mellitus on insulin pump therapy: 2-year follow-up. Diabetic Medicine 28 (9) : 1109 - 1112(2011) PubMed
  • Olischar M., Shoemark H., Holton T., Weninger M., Hunt RW. The influence of music on aEEG activity in neurologically healthy newborns >= 32 weeks' gestational age. ACTA PAEDIATRICA 100 (5) : 670 - 675(2011) PubMed

collaborations & affiliations

The Parenting Research Centre, Melbourne 
Ponting Foundation
Victorian Department of Health