Trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol and other drug use among Australian public safety personnel.

Objective: This study investigated the rates of workplace trauma exposure, probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol and other drug use among Australian public safety personnel (PSP). It also identified factors associated with hazardous or harmful alcohol and other drug use.

Method: Data were collected through an online survey distributed to PSP in three Australian agencies between May and October 2021.

Future Proofing Study: a cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a universal school-based cognitive-behavioural programme for adolescent depression.

Background: Psychological prevention programmes delivered in schools may reduce symptoms of depression. However, high-quality, large-scale trials are lacking.

Objective: The aim was to examine whether a digital cognitive-behavioural programme ('SPARX'), delivered at scale in schools, would reduce depressive symptoms 12 months later.

Future directions in depression prevention.

Objective: Rising rates of mental illness in young people over recent decades are a trend that represents a wake-up call across the globe. The causes of this increase are not known. We also know little about effective interventions or implementation strategies to prevent depression in either youth or adults.

A randomised controlled implementation trial of the feasibility and effectiveness of school staff delivery of a selective substance use and mental health program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Preventure is a selective school-based personality-targeted program that has shown long-term benefits in preventing student alcohol use, internalising and externalising problems when delivered by psychologists. In this first Australian randomised controlled trial of school staff implementation of Preventure, we aimed to examine i) acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity and ii) effectiveness of Preventure on student alcohol use, internalising, and externalising symptoms.

Methods: A cluster-randomised controlled implementation trial was conducted in Sydney, Australia and was guided by the RE-AIM framework (Glasgow et al.

Debate: Where to next for universal school-based mental health interventions?

In this article, we evaluate the current state of universal school-based mental health prevention. We argue that the field is at another pivotal turning point, with many unanswered questions. As youth mental health issues rise in prominence and prevalence, schools increasingly adopt mental health and well-being programmes.

Do school-based prevention programs impact co-occurring alcohol use and psychological distress during adolescence?

Background: Adolescence is a critical period for preventing substance use and mental health concerns, often targeted through separate school-based programs. However, co-occurrence is common and is related to worse outcomes. This study explores prevention effects of leading school-based prevention programs on co-occurring alcohol use and psychological distress.

Across the multiverse: exploring a diverse set of specifications related to cross-sectional and prospective associations between adolescent alcohol use and emotional problems.

Background: The relationship between adolescent alcohol use and emotional problems remains unclear and contradictory. These inconsistencies may in part be due to differences in the measurement and operationalization of alcohol use and emotional problems across studies, as well as confounder selection and missing data decisions. This study explores the associations between common specifications of adolescent alcohol use and emotional problems in a large sample of adolescents.

Co-development of general psychopathology and high-risk personality traits during adolescence.

There is strong evidence for a general psychopathology dimension which captures covariance among all forms of psychopathology, yet its nature and underlying association with personality remain unclear. This study examined the co-development of general psychopathology and four high-risk personality traits: anxiety sensitivity, negative thinking, sensation seeking, and impulsivity. Data from two large Australian school-based randomised controlled trials of substance use prevention programs were analysed ( = 2,083, mean age at baseline = 13.

Adolescent behavioural intentions: Secondary outcomes from a cluster randomized controlled trial of the Health4Life school-based lifestyle modification intervention.

Intervention: Health4Life: a school-based eHealth intervention targeting multiple health behaviour change (MHBC).

Research Question: Does Health4Life impact secondary outcomes of self-reported intentions regarding six lifestyle behaviours in adolescents (alcohol use, tobacco smoking, screentime, physical activity, discretionary beverage consumption, and sleep)?

Methods: We implemented a cluster randomized controlled trial within secondary schools across three Australian states. Schools were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either the Health4Life intervention, which consisted of a six-module, web-based program and accompanying smartphone app, or an active control (standard health education).

Guidelines for the design and implementation of youth participation initiatives to safeguard mental health and wellbeing.

Introduction: Worldwide, young people are increasingly engaged in participation and decision-making initiatives regarding issues that affect their lives through advisory groups, representative councils, advocacy and activism. Emerging evidence suggests that these initiatives may have an impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the youth involved. These guidelines, which are based on a scoping review of global evidence and led by a youth advisory group with lived experience of participation initiatives, summarise evidence-based recommendations for designing and implementing youth participation initiatives that protect the mental health and wellbeing of the young people involved.

A mixed-methods study among adolescents and teachers in Bogotá, Colombia: adapting the OurFutures Alcohol Program.

Early onset of alcohol consumption among Colombian adolescents highlights the need for effective and accessible preventive interventions. This project aimed to conduct formative work to inform the adaptation of an effective eHealth alcohol use prevention program originally developed in Australia, the OurFutures Alcohol Module, to the Bogotá context. Twenty-six adolescents and 10 teachers in Bogotá participated in the study.

Childhood traumatic experiences and vaping among Australian adolescents: A prospective investigation.

Introduction: Childhood traumatic experiences (CTE) have been identified as a robust risk factor for a range of substance use behaviours. However, little is known about their association with adolescent vaping. We explored prospective associations between CTEs and vaping among a sample of Australian adolescents.

Policy implications of the 2020-22 Australian study of mental health and wellbeing.

The objective of this paper is to summarise the policy implications of key findings from the 2020-22 Australian National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHWB). We provide an analysis of policy implications of four papers in this issue of the journal from the 2020-22 NSMHWB ( = 15,893) and the 2007 NSMHWB ( = 8841). The 2020-2022 NSMHWB reported a lifetime prevalence rate of common mental disorders of 40.

Diverging trends in alcohol use and mental health in Australian adolescents: A cross-cohort comparison of trends in co-occurrence.

Background: In recent years, psychological distress in Western countries has rapidly increased among older adolescents while alcohol use has declined, though little is known about younger adolescents. It is also unclear if and how these trends relate to co-occurring alcohol use and distress. This study sought to examine temporal changes in the prevalence of distress, alcohol use, and their co-occurrence among young Australians.

The Triple E project: a factorial randomised controlled trial to enhance engagement with eHealth approaches to improve health risk behaviours among adolescents.

Background: Digital, or eHealth, interventions are highly promising approaches to help adolescents improve their health behaviours and reduce their risk of chronic disease. However, they often have low uptake and retention. There is also a paucity of high-quality research into the predictors of eHealth engagement, and a lack of studies that have systematically evaluated existing engagement strategies in adolescent populations.

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of School-Based Preventive Interventions Targeting E-Cigarette Use Among Adolescents.

This study aimed to examine the efficacy of school-based e-cigarette preventive interventions via a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, and clinical trial registries for studies published between January 2000 and June 2023 using keywords for e-cigarettes, adolescents, and school. Of 1566 double-screened records, 11 met the criteria of targeting adolescents, evaluating an e-cigarette preventive intervention, being conducted in a secondary school, using a randomized controlled trial (RCT), cluster RCT, or quasi-experimental design, and comparing an intervention to a control.

Estimating the societal cost of heroin dependence in an Australian population engaged in treatment or harm reduction services.

Introduction: Heroin dependence is a public health concern in Australia. High mortality rates, increased risk of physical/mental health comorbidities and increased risk of social issues contribute to a high personal and societal cost. The aim of this paper is to understand the societal cost of heroin dependence in an Australian population.

Co-occurring experiences of traumatic events and substance use among young people.

Objective: Harmful substance use among young people is concerningly prevalent. Substance use disorder (SUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently co-occur in treatment settings and are well researched among adults but lacking among young community cohorts. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and relationship between substance use, SUD, trauma, and PTSD among a community sample of young people in Australia.

Refining the Universal, School-Based OurFutures Mental Health Program to Be Trauma Informed, Gender and Sexuality Diversity Affirmative, and Adherent to Proportionate Universalism: Mixed Methods Participatory Design Process.

Background: Mental disorders are the leading cause of disease burden among youth. Effective prevention of mental disorders during adolescence is a critical public health strategy to reduce both individual and societal harms. Schools are an important setting for prevention; however, existing universal school-based mental health interventions have shown null, and occasionally iatrogenic, effects in preventing symptoms of common disorders, such as depression and anxiety.

Perceived barriers to help-seeking for people who use crystal methamphetamine: Perspectives of people with lived experience, family members and health workers.

Introduction: Barriers to help-seeking for illicit drug use cross psychosocial (e.g., knowledge of where to seek help, attitudinal beliefs like being afraid of what people will think) and structural (e.

Low Risk of Cardiac Complications During Long-Term Follow-Up of Opioid Dependence.

Objectives: To prospectively assess rates of QT prolongation, arrhythmia, syncope, and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a cohort of people with heroin dependence.

Methods: To estimate rates of QT prolongation, arrhythmia, and syncope, a subcohort (n = 130) from the Australian Treatment Outcomes Study, a prospective longitudinal cohort study of 615 people with heroin dependence, underwent medical history, venepuncture, and ECG at the 18- to 20-year follow-up.To estimate rates of SCD, probabilistic matching for the entire cohort was undertaken with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Death Index.