Reports and Findings (Published Research)

FIFO Families

Through a partnership with PLS, this research will aim to understand the impact of FIFO work arrangements on the mental health and wellbeing of the whole FIFO family.

Bridging the gap: unveiling key links between autism and anxiety symptoms in autistic children and youth using a network analysis in pooled data from four countries

Autistic children experience significantly higher rates of anxiety compared to nonautistic children. The precise relations between autism characteristics and anxiety symptoms remain unclear in this population. Previous work has explored associations at the domain level, which involve examining broad categories or clusters of symptoms, rather than the relationships between specific symptoms and/or individual characteristics. We addressed this gap by taking a network approach to understand the shared structure of autism characteristics and anxiety symptoms.

Longitudinal Profiling of the Human Milk Microbiome from Birth to 12 Months Reveals Overall Stability and Selective Taxa-Level Variation

Human milk bacteria contribute to gut microbiome establishment in breastfed infants. Although breastfeeding is recommended throughout infancy, temporal variation in the milk microbiome-particularly beyond solid food introduction-remains understudied. We analyzed 539 milk samples from 83 mother-infant dyads between 1 week and 12 months postpartum using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Perceived stigma and self-stigma in young people at ultra-high risk for psychosis: Associations with identity-related, psychological and functional outcomes

Perceived stigma and self-stigma negatively affect identity-related, psychological and functional outcomes among stigmatised populations. There is limited research exploring the impact of stigma among young people at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. We investigated the association of perceived stigma and self-stigma with these outcomes in young people at UHR.

High Expression of NTRK1 in ETV6::RUNX1 Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Drives Factor Independence and Sensitivity to Larotrectinib

ETV6::RUNX1 is one of the most common recurrent genomic abnormalities in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and is associated with a good prognosis. High expression of NTRK1, encoding tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA), confers a poor prognosis in other malignancies and may contribute to therapy resistance in patients with ETV6::RUNX1 B-ALL.

“We Need Community-Centred, Strongly Ethical Genetic Research”: A Qualitative Investigation of Community Attitudes Toward Autism Genetics

Autism genetics has historically attracted a substantial proportion of autism research funding internationally. However, more recently, several controversies centered on ethical conduct and lack of community consultation have emerged. This has triggered Autistic-led protests for the functional and meaningful inclusion of Autistic voices in the research design.

“I don't really exist here”: A reflexive thematic analysis of dissociative symptoms described by adolescents and their parents and clinicians

Dissociative symptoms are associated with a range of negative outcomes, yet little is understood about how adolescents experience dissociation in their daily lives. This study aimed to describe adolescents’ dissociative symptoms from the perspective of adolescents, their parents, and their treating clinicians.

Caregiver-Mediated Early Support Program Delivered Online Versus Care-as-Usual for Infants at Elevated Familial Likelihood for Autism

LiL' STEPS (Language development & Intervention Lab's SupporTing Early social-communication and language by Promoting caregiver Sensitive responsiveness) is a novel, manualized, caregiver-mediated early support program developed in India and delivered online for infants at elevated familial likelihood for autism. The program has been found to be feasible and acceptable. The preliminary efficacy of the LiL' STEPS program, which remains to be evaluated, was assessed in this study using a feasibility randomized controlled trial design.

Immunogenicity and Safety of a 2 + 1 DTPa Priming Schedule in Australian Infants and the Impact of Maternally Derived Antibodies on Pertussis Antibody Responses up to 4 Years of Age

We assessed the impact of maternally derived pertussis antibodies on infant responses to a 2 + 1 vaccine schedule (6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 12 months). Infants with baseline antibodies showed lower IgG responses following the primary vaccination series, but this did not impair booster responses at 4 years of age.

Intrafamilial Maltreatment of People with Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review

People with intellectual disability experience a greater risk of maltreatment than people without intellectual disability. Maltreatment by family members presents additional risks, including greater possibilities for concealment. This scoping reviewResults were summarized in both narrative and tabular formats summarizes extant knowledge about the familial maltreatment of people with intellectual disability and identifies gaps in the literature.