Current research projects in mental health

Project 1: New technology for new mums

The aim of this project is to improve the mental well-being of new, isolated mothers by combining home-based nursing services with internet-based parenting support. The first of its kind in Australia, the project will first identify the type of web-based help most needed by parents to promote their infants' health and solve common parenting problems. It will then focus on developing a range of new web-based tools designed to complement existing nurse-based programs and improve family life at a population level.

The new program will be trialled among 700 new mothers with children aged four weeks to 18 months from across South Australia. The project is funded by a $877,246 NHMRC Partnership Grant with additional support provided by the Women's and Children's Health Network and the SA Department of Health. The project team comprises 12 researchers led by Professor Michael Sawyer, head of the Mental Health Stream of the Children's Research Centre and Director of the Research and Evaluation Unit at the Women's and Children's Hospital.

Project 2: Evaluation of the Nurse Family Home Visiting Program

The aim of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of the South Australian Nurse Family Home Visiting Program (SA-FHV) in improving the wellbeing of mothers and infants during a child's first two years of life. Using a population sample, we aim to determine the impact of the SA-FHV program on maternal mental health, parenting quality, and the social, emotional and language development of infants among different family groups (e.g. single-parents versus two-parent families). The knowledge gained from our research will help us identify those family groups who benefit most from the SA-FHV program, and provide information to improve the program's effectiveness in other family situations.

Started in 2008, this research is being conducted in collaboration with the Women's and Children's Health Network, and is funded in part by a $442,000 grant from the Strategic Health Research Program (an initiative of the South Australian Department of Health). Additional funding has been provided by Australian Rotary Health and the Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation. The project involves eight research staff and a team of home interviewers led by Professor Michael Sawyer, leader of the Mental Health Stream of the Children's Research Centre and Head of the Research and Evaluation Unit.