MhhP Showcase

Amanda George

Amanda George is an Associate Professor and psychological scientist in the Discipline of Psychology at UC. Amanda’s research focuses on risk-taking behaviours among young adults, notably risky driving and drinking practices. Her research expertise includes impulsivity, social anxiety and motives, and she examines modifiable psychological factors to reduce harm.

Abstract: Problematic Smartphone Use Among Young Adults

Smartphones are now considered an essential tool for life. They provide access to a diverse range of features well beyond standard calling and messaging, including the internet, social media, video games, shopping, and navigation. While there are benefits to smartphone use, for some people their use can become excessive or uncontrolled and it may result in harm or functional impairment. When this occurs, it is termed problematic smartphone use (PSU). This presentation will discuss symptoms of PSU, consequences, causes, and interventions, including the important role of motives. Implications for helping young adults understand and manage PSU will be considered.

Beau Mostyn Sullivan

Beau Mostyn Sullivan is a PhD candidate (Clinical Psychology) at the University of Canberra (UC). His research interests include aetiological mechanisms underlying problematic technology use, particularly personality traits, psychopathology, and motives. He also has an interest in risk-taking behaviours and impulsivity.

Abstract: Problematic Smartphone Use Among Young Adults

Smartphones are now considered an essential tool for life. They provide access to a diverse range of features well beyond standard calling and messaging, including the internet, social media, video games, shopping, and navigation. While there are benefits to smartphone use, for some people their use can become excessive or uncontrolled and it may result in harm or functional impairment. When this occurs, it is termed problematic smartphone use (PSU). This presentation will discuss symptoms of PSU, consequences, causes, and interventions, including the important role of motives. Implications for helping young adults understand and manage PSU will be considered.

Caroline Ng Tseung-Wong

Caroline Ng Tseung-Wong is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Psychology at UC. Caroline’s research interests include bicultural identities, intergroup relations and well-being. Her latest research focusses on migrants’ acculturation and alcohol use and attitudes.

Abstract: Migrant Youth’s Drinking Attitudes and Acculturation: Drinking to Fit In?

In Australia, drinking alcohol is often viewed as a cultural norm. Among young Australian adults (aged 18-24 years), alcohol use is one of the major causes of burden of disease in males and the third leading cause in females (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2021). Whilst alcohol and other drugs (AOD) feature in the lives of many Australian young adults, little is known about the attitudes and behaviours of immigrant youth (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) in Australia. This presentation will discuss alcohol use of CaLD youth in terms of frequency, motives for drinking, and the role of acculturation in migrant youth’s drinking attitudes and use.

Debra Rickwood

Distinguished Professor Debra Rickwood is a distinguished expert in youth mental health at the University of Canberra. Her research delves into young people's help-seeking behaviours, mental health service usage, and experiences, emphasising program evaluation and outcome measurement. She focuses on integrated youth services, aiming to enhance early intervention and preventive strategies to support youth mental health. Her work significantly contributes to understanding how young people engage with mental health services, providing insights to develop more accessible, effective, and youth-centred mental health programs.

Dimity Crisp

Dr Crisp is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, and lead researcher in the MhhP team. Her research focuses on community mental health and wellbeing, with specific focus on youth and student mental health, and the mental health of allied health professionals and clinical trainees.

Abstract: Risk Factors for Adolescent Mental Health: A Look at the Headspace National Youth Mental Health Survey

The National Youth Mental Health Survey, an initiative of headspace, the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, provides a snapshot of mental health and wellbeing of Australia’s youth. The 2022 survey captured experiences of mental health and wellbeing, social media use and cyberbullying, help-seeking behaviours, and mental health service use. Here we examine the experiences of young people aged 12-17 years from around Australia and identify risk factors for distress.

Phoebe Joshua

Phoebe is a Clinical Psychology PhD candidate at the University of Canberra. She is passionate about improving the range of appropriate and targeted therapies in emerging eating disorders to reduce the long-term impact of these disorders on young people and their families.

Phoebe’s PhD research intends to improve treatments for eating disorders by addressing early maladaptive schemas, temperament patterns, and the impact of upbringing. She has collaborated with experts in the field to design a schema therapy treatment program for adults with eating disorders. This program is targeted to temperament and perceived parenting experience and is currently being implemented across Australia and the United Kingdom. In the future, she intends to adapt this program for early intervention in adolescents and young adults with eating disorders who haven’t responded to traditional treatment. Along with other psychologists and researchers in the field, she is attempting to make schema therapy more accessible to psychologists (and thus clients) as a treatment for eating disorders.

Presentation Title: The Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences in the Development of Disordered Eating. Prevention and Intervention.

The role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the development of eating disorders (EDs) has been well evidenced. Although most EDs develop in adolescence and early adulthood, many first-line treatments for this population do not provide sufficient or sustained levels of recovery. It is proposed that fewer EDs would become chronic if alternative treatments, such as schema therapy, were provided earlier in the disorder progression.

Recent research has identified a sequential model in young adults where perceived maladaptive parenting styles predict the presence of certain temperament factors, then predicting higher maladaptive schema and consequently, a higher likelihood of developing an ED. This presentation will explore the patterns of perceived parenting style, temperament, and early maladaptive schemas found in young adults with an ED, with a particular focus on differences across genders and disorder types. Ways for clinicians to identify presentations that may benefit from treatments addressing ACEs will be discussed.

Richard Keegan

Richard is a psychologist - registered in the UK (HCPC) and Australia (AHPRA) – and Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Canberra (UC). He was also the inaugural UC 2023 High Performance Sports Fellow. Richard has worked with athletes across a wide range of levels (from beginners to world champions), and in a range of sports (from athletics and snow-sports to para-sport motorsport and officiating). Richard completed his MSc and PhD at Loughborough University, and before that, a degree in Psychology at the University of Bristol. His research focuses on four key areas: motivational processes in sport and exercise; physical literacy; applied sport psychology practice; and readiness monitoring. He has published over 90 peer reviewed academic papers, 3 books and 20 book chapters, as well as reports for State and Federal Governments. Research informs his psychological practice and, of course, permeates into his university teaching. In his spare time he enjoys bushwalking, strength-training, and walking his dog, Banjo.

Abstract: Physical Activity, Physical Literacy, and Mental Health

In this session, we will explore the links between mental health and physical activity such as exercise and sport, and the emerging role of 'physical literacy' in facilitating this important link. The link between physical activity and mental health is well established, with both aerobic and strength training showing strong benefits for mental health. Physical literacy captures lifelong learnings that eventuate from (and feed into) movement and physical activity. Physical literacy comprises ongoing, combined/integrated acquisition of physical, psychological, cognitive, and social capabilities through movement. Experts believe physical literacy is vital in helping us lead healthy and fulfilling lives through movement and physical activity.

Research at UC has both refined the concept of physical literacy, as well as exploring how it is taught in schools and the impacts it can have in children. Recently, we have been exploring how physical literacy—built during childhood and adolescence—links with physical activity habits and mental health in adult populations.