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.
Group Leaders

Team Leaders





Group Members















Our projects

Aboriginal Families Study
The Aboriginal Families Study is a prospective mother and child cohort study investigating the health and wellbeing 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.
Read more...
Bridging the Gap: Partnerships for change in refugee child and family health
This study is complete. We are a partnership program that brings together health service clinicians and managers, policy makers and researchers to bring about sustainable improvements in the quality of maternity and early childhood health care to improve health and health care outcomes for families of refugee background.
Read more...
Childhood Resilience Study
Development of a measure of child resilience for children aged five to12 years, with a parent-child and school report. 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.
Read more...
Family Foundations Evaluation Study
This study evaluates the Family Foundations program being delivered by Merri Health. 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.
Read more...
Group Pregnancy Care Study
Implementing and evaluating a new approach to antenatal and postnatal care that involves inter-agency collaboration between public maternity hospitals, refugee settlement agencies, and maternal and child health (MCH) services. 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.
Read more...
Listening to What Matters
This study is complete. Listening to What Matters is a collaboration between the MCRI Refugee and Migrant Research Program and the Victorian Foundation for the Survivors of Torture (Foundation House), and is funded by the North West Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN).
Read more...
Making Sense of the Unseen: Understanding Women’s Experiences of Suicidality in the Perinatal Period
Until now, maternal suicide has remained largely unseen by society, researchers, and many health professionals. Our study, Making Sense of the Unseen, will begin to address this important gap in our knowledge.
Read more...
Mothers' and Young People's Study
The Mothers' and Young People's Study is a multi-wave, prospective cohort study initially designed to investigate women's health after childbirth. Over time, the study has expanded to include an investigation of children's and young people's health and wellbeing and the extent to which mothers' and children's health are inextricably linked. Over 1,500 women were recruited to the study from six Melbourne metropolitan hospitals between 2003-2005.
Read more...
Working Out Dads Project
The Working Out Dads project is evaluating ways to promote men’s health and wellbeing during early fatherhood.
Read more...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 changes to support women and families. Our short-term goal is to enable 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.
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 backgrounds. 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.
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.