Intergenerational Health
Health, wellbeing and equity for mothers, fathers, children and families.
Intergenerational trauma and family violence are major public health issues that impact the lives of diverse women, children, families and communities.
Our research aims to improve the health, social and emotional wellbeing and resilience of children, young people and families affected by these issues.
Our research includes longitudinal studies that explore the lived experience of diverse families and communities. We also work with health services, community organisations and communities to co-design, implement and evaluate strategies to improve care and outcomes for women, children and families, including those affected by intergenerational trauma and family violence.
We collaborate with a diverse range of health services and community-based agencies, including primary care services, public hospitals, early childhood services, Aboriginal community organisations and refugee advocacy and settlement services.
Stronger Futures Centre for Research Excellence (CRE)
Our group leads the Stronger Futures CRE, Australia’s first national collaborative centre, working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and refugee communities to break cycles of intergenerational trauma, family violence and social inequity.
Our projects
Mothers’ and Young People’s Study
The Mothers’ and Young People’s Study is a prospective cohort study involving 1507 first-time mothers and their first-born children. The study is one of the few cohort studies with prospectively collected data on common maternal physical and mental health problems and experiences of intimate partner violence spanning the period from early pregnancy to age 10. In 2022, we are commencing follow-up of all mothers and young people in the cohort as the young people turn 18 years of age.
Childhood Resilience Study
Despite the growing interest in resilience and resilience research, there are few resilience measures for children. We have developed the first multi-domain, socially inclusive child resilience measure co-designed with Aboriginal and refugee background communities. Extensive community consultation and engagement identified resilience factors that were not evident in existing published literature. We are using the Childhood Resilience Questionnaire to help us understand what is important for children to grow up strong in families experiencing multiple challenges such as poverty, racism, intergenerational trauma and family violence.
Aboriginal Families Study
The Aboriginal Families Study is a prospective mother and child cohort study investigating the health of 344 Aboriginal children and their mothers living in urban, regional and remote areas of South Australia. The study was developed in response to gaps in the available evidence to inform health policy and services and was preceded by extensive consultation with Aboriginal communities and services in South Australia. Major areas of focus include maternal health and wellbeing; children's health, wellbeing and development; engagement with health services; and connections to family, community, culture and language.
Healing for survivors of child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities
The aim of this study is to build a better understanding of the experiences and healing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survivors of childhood sexual abuse and to provide greater support for survivors through developing improved service and therapeutic pathways. The project aligns with the team’s current engagement and works to support the efforts of the Victorian Aboriginal Sexual Assault Working Group and the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation in designing Aboriginal sexual assault support services and training modules for health professionals working in this area of healing and recovery.
Strong Families Strong Babies Study
The project is working with maternity and early childhood services to co-design, implement and evaluate innovative practice change to support women and families. Our short-term goal is to enable the health care providers to integrate a focus on social determinants of health into clinical practice. Our long-term goal is to reduce the likelihood of babies being born with low birth weight and adverse outcomes for mothers related to social factors.
Group Pregnancy Care Study
Group Pregnancy Care is an innovative model of antenatal care, co-designed with communities of refugee background and other key stakeholders. The program aims to create culturally safe places for women to connect, access information and receive pregnancy care and support in their own language, strengthen health literacy and self-efficacy and contribute to improved maternal and child health outcomes for families of refugee background. Formative evaluation has been conducted in collaboration with Foundation House and health services providing care to families of refugee background in Melbourne’s west and northern suburbs.
Working Together to Make Pregnancy Safer
Working Together aims to help address stillbirth disparities experienced by refugee and migrant background communities by co-designing approaches to sharing information about stillbirth prevention during pregnancy. The project addresses a major gap in current evidence regarding how Safer Baby Bundle resources, developed by the Stillbirth CRE, may be culturally adapted to facilitate reach and uptake within communities of refugee and migrant background. This three-year study will co-design information for use in community resources and approaches to health professional development, which will then be piloted and evaluated.
Working Out Dads
Working Out Dads is an innovative 6-week group-based peer support intervention for fathers of young children (0-4yrs) experiencing mental health difficulties and significant life stress. Developed by Tweddle Child and Family Health Service, Working Out Dads incorporates a 60-minute group discussion about being a dad and strategies to cope with stress, with a 30-minute group fitness session with a personal trainer. We are conducting a randomised trial to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Working Out Dads in reducing fathers' mental health difficulties in early parenthood.
Family Foundations Evaluation
Family Foundations is a family-based intervention that focuses on the critical early years of children’s lives, engages all parents/caregivers in the family, and focuses on strengthening the skills needed to navigate stressful life circumstances and minimise the impact they can have on mental health and family relationships. In partnership with Professor Mark Feinberg (Penn State University) and community health partners, we are trialling the implementation of Family Foundations in Australia. The knowledge generated by this project will contribute to improved opportunities for the effective provision of mental health care to families during crises and hardship.
Funding
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
- Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
- North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network
- Commonwealth Department of Health
- Victorian Department of Health
- The Royal Children’s Hospital Research Foundation
Collaborations
- Aboriginal Communities and Families Health Research Alliance
- Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia Ltd
- Berry Street
- Clothing the Gaps Foundation
- Deakin University
- Drummond Street Family Services
- Foundation House (Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture and Trauma)
- Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University
- McMaster University, Canada
- Melton Maternal and Child Health Service
- Merri Health
- Orygen
- Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT)
- Safe Pathways to Healing
- Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence
- South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
- Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence
- Stronger Futures Centre of Research Excellence
- Tweddle Child and Family Health Service
- Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland (MAMMI Study)
- University of Birmingham, UK
- The University of Melbourne
- University of Western Australia
- VICSEG New Futures
- Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
- Wadja Aboriginal Family Place, Royal Children’s Hospital
- Western Health
Featured publications
- Brown S, Mensah F, Giallo R, Woolhouse H, Hegarty K, Nicholson JM, Gartland D. Intimate partner violence and maternal mental health ten years after a first birth: An Australian prospective cohort study of first-time mothers. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2020;262:247-257.
- Gartland D, Riggs E, Muyeen S, Giallo R, O Afifi T, MacMillan H, Herrman H, Bulford E, Brown SJ. What factors are associated with resilient outcomes in children exposed to social adversity? A systematic review. BMJ Open 2019; 9(4):e02.
- Leach L, Poyser C, Cooklin AR, Giallo, R. Prevalence and course of anxiety disorders (and symptom levels) in men during the perinatal period: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders 2015;190, 675-86.
- Gee G, Dudgeon P, Schultz C, Hart A, Kelly K. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing. In P Dudgeon, H Milroy & R Walker (Eds), Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practices. Canberra, Australia, 2014;55-68.
- Riggs E, Muyeen S, Brown S, Dawson W, Petschel P, Tardiff W, Norman F, Vanpraag D, Szwarc J, Yelland J. Cultural safety and belonging for refugee background women attending group pregnancy care: An Australian qualitative study. Birth, 2017; 44(2): 145-152.