YOLO: a mental health promotion program for university students
University students are at a heightened risk for a variety of mental and physical health problems, including depression, anxiety, stress, academic and relationship problems, reduced quality of life, decreased well-being, and poor physical health. Prevalence estimates suggest between 12% and 46% of university students will experience mental health difficulties within any given year.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the unmet need and placed greater strain on in-person psychological support services, contributing to university counselling service wait times and counsellor to student ratios of up to 1:1,604.
Web‐based psychological interventions are efficacious in targeting specific mental health problems in students and are a preferred avenue for students to obtain information and services.
Developed and evaluated by researchers from The University of Queensland’s (UQ) School of Psychology the YOLO Program is a 4‐week web‐based intervention for university students consisting of four 30–45 minute modules, each targeting one or two of the six Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) core processes.
The researchers’ analysis of a randomised control trial of 1,162 participants showed significant improvements from pre‐ to post‐intervention compared with waitlist control on all primary outcomes and ACT processes. All YOLO intervention gains were maintained at follow‐up.
Key features:
- Web-based, scalable psychological intervention
- Tailored specifically for mental health distress commonly experienced by university students
- YOLO participants show significant and sustained improvements in mental health skills.
iAx
iAx: Fast-tracking assessment to help clinicians treat patients with substance-use disorders.
Despite a strong evidence-base for standardised assessment instruments when treating patients with substance-use disorders, translation into clinical practice is challenging due to time constraints and the administrative burden associated with paper-based assessments. The iAx was developed by health practitioners for health practitioners to improve the assessment and treatment of substance-use disorders quickly and effectively ‘on-the-ground.’
iAx is a simple and easy-to-use software that digitally collects patient responses to evidence-based questionnaires to inform clinical pathways to treatment. These responses can be collected on a tablet or PC using any operating system. Patient data is de-identified, with a unique patient identifying code used to link the patient data to the patient’s file on a clinic’s system.
Key features:
- Removes the time barrier for scoring and interpretation in a clinical setting
- Instantly scores responses, benchmarks against clinical averages, and visualises results for immediate use by practitioner
- Easily modified/interchanged for different validated measures, eg cannabis, alcohol, opioid use questionnaires etc
- Data capture includes severity of symptoms, frequency of cravings, patient confidence in controlling addiction
- Progress can be tracked over time and treatment adjusted where necessary
- Assessment can be easily administered on a tablet using any operating system.
Take Five
Take Five: an animated educational resource that reduces procedural anxiety in paediatric burns patients and their carers.
Severe parental psychological distress during acute wound care has been shown to exacerbate paediatric distress and recovery times. The Take Five video intervention reduces procedural anxiety and was developed to support the carers of young children (aged 1-6) during their first out-patient dressing change for an acute burn injury.
The 5-minute video resource includes information on procedural preparation, psychological support and behavioural self-coping strategies for parents to assist their child during wound care.
Key features
- A non-pharmacological procedural pain intervention for young children (aged 1-6) suffering burns injuries
- 5-minute video resource contains simple whiteboard animations to set the audience’s mind to a learning mood
- Psychological self-coping strategies use an Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) framework
- Content is easily adapted for alternative medical procedures such as operating theatres, lumbar punctures, spinal taps etc
- Can be easily administered on a tablet using any operating system by a range of health practitioners, including nurses, administrative staff, play therapists etc
- Carers reported high intentions and confidence in using behavioural strategies.
Triple P - Positive Parenting Program® (Triple P)
Triple P is a world-renowned program that aims to equip parents with the skills, strategies and confidence to handle any parenting situation.
Backed by more than 40 years of ongoing research at The University of Queensland, the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program® is one of the most effective evidence-based parenting programs in the world. Triple P gives parents simple and practical strategies to help them build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behaviour and prevent problems developing. Triple P has been shown to work across cultures, socio-economic groups, and in many kinds of family structures.
The program offers a population-based approach by putting evidence-based parenting in the hands of every parent in their community, individual healthcare, or a tailored approach that targets a specific group or demographic. To date, approximately 7 million children and their families have undergone the Triple P program in more than 58 countries around the world.
In 2001, Triple P International (TPI), a Certified B Corporation®, was granted a worldwide, exclusive licence to disseminate Triple P products and services. TPI is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia and employs people in the US, the UK, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany and France.
Key features
- It is the most extensively researched parenting program in the world and is based on decades of ongoing research
- Pre and post evaluation measures enable practitioners to demonstrate the success of the program with individual parents or entire populations
- It caters to an entire population – across age ranges and special circumstances such as children with disabilities, children with health concerns, and divorce or separation
- Its distinctive multi-level system offers programs of varying intensities from light touch to targeted interventions for at-risk families.
Visit the Triple P International website.
Bullying & Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents
The Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents (BCS-A) is a self-report survey tool that measures bullying behaviour among adolescents.
Teenage bullying is a very real problem in schools. It includes physical, verbal, emotional bullying and cyberbullying. The effects of bullying may manifest as physical problems and injuries, depression (even suicide), drug use, stunted social development and, in severe cases, it can affect a person well into adulthood.
Intervention on adolescent bullying is reliant on the valid and reliable measurement of victimisation and perpetration experiences, however existing self-report scales are restricted to unidimensional models or victimisation experiences only. The measurement of both victimisation (experiences of being bullied) and perpetration (experiences of bullying others), and the different forms of bullying behaviour (e.g. face-to-face and online) is critical for effective intervention.
The BCS-A is a validated multi-factor measurement model comprised of a 13-item scale including physical, verbal, relational, cyber forms of bullying, and possesses robust psychometric dependability. To date, it has been used for clinical intervention/treatment, distribution to high school students (aged 12-17 years), and in academic presentations and conferences.
To find out more or to licence the scale, visit the website here.
Parent Cough Specific Quality of Life
The Parent Cough Specific Quality of Life (PC-QoL) questionnaires measure the impact of a child’s cough on parental wellbeing and daily life while mirroring the changes in acute cough severity.
A chronic or acute cough can be very distressing and have a significant effect on children and their families. Young children can have difficulty verbally expressing themselves adequately, so it is common practice for parents to be proxy assessors of their young child’s medical condition. Parents are affected by their child’s medical condition and thus their own quality of life is also relevant. Quality of Life measures are now considered essential for high-quality clinical research and intervention and help healthcare professionals reliably measure and evaluate the efficacy of their proposed intervention.
The PC-QoL questionnaires are the first fully validated children’s cough-specific quality of life questionnaires designed for paediatricians and parents. Strong empirical research has proven them to be reliable and valid for assessing the effect of a child’s chronic cough and demonstrated sensitivity to change. The questionnaires align with the World Health Organisation domains of psychological, physical, and social functioning, and their length and psychometric properties have enhanced uptake and routine use in clinical practice and research.
Available questionnaires
- PC-QoL-27: the full-scale questionnaire for parents of children with chronic cough
- PC-QoL-8: the short-form version of PC-QOL-27 (8-item questionnaire)
- PAC-QoL: the Parent-proxy Children’s Acute Cough-specific QoL questionnaire.
To find out more or to licence a questionnaire, visit the website here.
Geriatric Anxiety Inventory
The Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) is a simple self-reporting scale for quickly screening older people for anxiety disorders.
Anxiety is very prevalent in older people, but with dementia also presenting as a common illness in this group, mood disorders such as anxiety and depression can be overlooked because the symptoms are similar. This is made more problematic by the lack of research on diagnosing anxiety in adults aged 65 and over.
The GAI has been developed to specifically fill this gap and reflects years of collaborative research led by academics from The University of Queensland’s Schools of Medicine and Psychology. The scale is the first clinically validated anxiety screening tool that can be used with normal older people and older people with mental health problems. It’s easily administered and scored by a range of clinical staff across a variety of health care settings, enabling easier and more accurate screening of anxiety.
The GAI has been translated into 20+ languages and used in at least 20 countries across the world. To date, users include pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical trials who require screening of older people for anxiety; public and private sector healthcare providers; and aged care facilities.
Key features
- Simple, straightforward design: a simple 20 item questionnaire
- Quick and easy to use by a range of health professionals
- Can even be self-administered
- Older adult specific – the GAI has been designed specifically for those aged 65 and over
- Extensively tested and backed by years of research and evidence base.
Visit the GAI website.
BRAVE™
BRAVE™ is an interactive cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) program developed specifically for anxious children, teens and their parents.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health conditions affecting children and teenagers. Anxiety can create a sense of doom and foreboding that seems to come out of nowhere and oftentimes we think our child is “going through a phase” and that there is nothing to worry about. Children themselves tend to avoid their negative feelings. However, it is imperative to read the signs because anxiety can be extremely debilitating and cause significant problems in a person’s emotional, social, and educational functioning.
With BRAVE™ children, teenagers, and their parents have access to proven online CBT in a self-help format, which can be accessed from the comfort of their own homes. In 2018, 4,425 users of the child and adolescent self-help programs in Australia participated in a study, revealing that irrespective of the number of sessions completed, young people showed a statistically significant average decrease in their anxiety symptoms.
BRAVE™ has been developed by a team from The University of Queensland and is based on research evidence compiled over 15 years. Parents of children who complete the program can rest assured their child is receiving a high-quality treatment program.
Visit the BRAVE™ website.
Latch-On®
The Latch-On® – Literacy and Technology Hands On – is a post-school literacy program transforming the lives of young adults with intellectual disabilities around the world.
Literacy skills are fundamental to informed decision-making, personal empowerment, and active participation in society. In the past, post-school options for people with intellectual disabilities has been focused on work placement and recreational activities with little in the way of literacy development opportunities.
Developed by a team of researchers at The University of Queensland, Latch-On® is an evidence-based program that enables young adults with intellectual disabilities to continue their literacy and numeracy development in a post-school environment. The part-time, two year program combines traditional teaching styles with technology instruction and is delivered to students aged 18+.
Latch-On® helps participants to:
- enhance literacy and numeracy, self-confidence and independence
- enhance self-concept and life opportunities (work-placement) through the expected positive outcomes of literacy and numeracy development
- provide links and foster friendships through literacy, numeracy and technology with others across their communities.
Latch-On® has been mapped to the National Foundation Skills Training Package qualification: Certificate 1 in Access to Vocational Pathways (FSK10113).
Visit the Latch-On® website.
CarFreeMe®
CarFreeMe® is an effective, evidence-based and client-centred approach to improve outcomes and support people to manage the decision to stop driving
Driving represents independence and freedom and can be vital for a social and active lifestyle. Older adults and people with health conditions may need to, or choose to, stop driving. This can have a negative impact on their quality of life and health. The losses associated with no longer driving include difficulties with mood and adjustment, a decrease in participation in activities such as essential medical appointments, leisure interests and social engagements. This may put people at risk of isolation, depression and poor health outcomes.
Developed by a multi-disciplinary team from The University of Queensland, CarFreeMe® is a six-week program delivered by a trained CarFreeMe® provider who is a registered health professional and has completed the training.
CarFreeMe® helps participants to:
- own their decision to stop driving
- feel more in control of planning and to have a concrete plan to becoming car free
- increase confidence and comfort while still going wherever they want to go.
Visit the CarFreeMe® website.