2024 RTP round - Co-designing psychological supports for parents of neurodiverse adolescents with mental health concerns

Status: Closed

Applications open: 7/07/2023
Applications close: 25/08/2023

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About this scholarship
Description/Applicant information

Parents of neurodiverse adolescents (with conditions like autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, developmental language delay and dyslexia) typically report elevated levels of parental stress and poorer mental health than parents of neurotypical children. During adolescence, neurodiverse young people are at heightened risk for anxiety, depression and behavioural difficulties compared to their neurotypical peers - further elevating the stress and strain experienced by their parents. Parental mental health is known to affect the adjustment and wellbeing of their children, impacting on parenting styles and family climate. Yet most interventions for parents of neurodiverse adolescents are limited to providing training in effective parenting strategies and rarely include supporting and equipping parents with the tools to better cope with the stress associated with parenting a child with complex and chronic behavioural and emotional needs. Parents of neurodiverse adolescents with mental health difficulties have told our team of their unmet needs for psychological support and how these unmet needs affect their relationships with their children and psychological wellbeing.  Disability service providers have also highlighted the immense strain that parents of neurodiverse adolescents experience, with little in the way of supports available to parents. Together this highlights the need for interventions that ameliorate the stress and psychological distress experienced by parents of neurodiverse adolescents with mental health concerns. The proposed PhD project is in response to these unmet needs. 

The proposed project aims to develop a psychological intervention to reduce the psychological distress experienced by parents of neurodiverse adolescents with mental health concerns.  We propose a mixed-methods intervention development study that will be designed with the inputs of the preferred candidate and a consumer advisory group. 

The project has four proposed objectives that align with the first two stages of the UK Medical Research Council’s framework for developing and testing complex interventions.  These are:
1. To conduct a scoping review of psychological interventions for parents of children with neurodevelopmental difficulties and mental health concerns.  The review will describe the content and theoretical bases of these interventions, synthesize evidence for the effectiveness of these interventions, and identify key intervention elements that are helpful for facilitating change.
2. To explore parents’ experience of caring for neurodiverse adolescents with mental health needs via qualitative interviews, with a particular focus on their unmet psychological support needs, coping strategies, and the stress and strain associated with the caregiving role.
3. To identify socio-contextual and personal risk factors (e.g. emotional regulation, coping skills) associated with greater parental psychological distress and potential mechanisms that mediate or moderate these relationships using online surveys. 
4. To co-produce, through a series of theory of change workshops conducted with parents and providers, a framework for a psychological intervention designed to address modifiable risk factors for psychological distress among parents of neurodiverse adolescents with mental health concerns. 

Neurodiverse adolescents with co-occurring mental health concerns are more likely to thrive when they are supported by parents who are engaged and psychologically well. Unfortunately the stresses and strains associated with caring for neurodiverse adolescents impacts on parental wellbeing -particularly when parents have limited psychological supports available. Services however focus almost entirely on the wellbeing of the adolescent, without considering how stress and strain associated with the parenting role can impact on parenting style, the home environment and ultimately the adolescent. Parents of neurodiverse adolescents with additional mental health concerns need evidence-informed interventions to help them cope better and reduce their own distress. Few interventions are available for parents.  This PhD will contribute to this knowledge gap by producing a framework for a psychological intervention specifically designed to address the unmet psychological needs of parents with neurodiverse adolescents. 

An internship opportunity is available. Ability WA, a disability partner with whom the enAble Institute has a memorandum of understanding.  The internship will involve gathering and analysing data on the wellbeing of the parents of Ability WA's customers. 

Student type

• Future Students

Faculty

• Faculty of Health Sciences

Course type

• Higher Degree by Research

Citizenship

• Australian Citizen
• Australian Permanent Resident
• New Zealand Citizen
• Permanent Humanitarian Visa

Scholarship base

• Merit Based

Value

The annual scholarship package (stipend and tuition fees) is approx. $60,000 - $70,000 p.a.

Successful HDR applicants for admission will receive a 100% fee offset for up to 4 years, stipend scholarships at the 2023 RTP rate valued at $32,250 p.a. for up to a maximum of 3 years, with a possible 6 month completion scholarship. Applicants are determined via a competitive selection process and will be notified of the scholarship outcome in November 2023. 

For detailed information, visit: Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships | Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

Scholarship Details
Maximum number awarded

1

Eligible courses

All applicable HDR courses

Eligibility criteria

- Independent problem-solving skills
- Excellent work-ethic
- Curiosity 
- Attention to detail
- Comfort with qualitative and quantitative research methods 

Application process

If this project excites you, and your research skills and experience are a good fit for this specific project, you should contact the Project Lead (listed below in the enquires section) via the Expression of Interest (EOI) form. ahead of the closing date. Please note you should apply as soon as possible, as once a suitable candidate has been identified this opportunity will no longer be available to receive an EOI.

Enrolment Requirements

Eligible to enrol in a Higher Degree by Research Course at Curtin University by March 2024.

Recipients must complete their milestone 1 within 6 month of enrolment and remain enrolled on a full-time basis for the duration of the scholarship.

Enquiries

To enquire about this project opportunity that includes a scholarship application, contact the Project lead, Bronywn Myers-Franchi via the EOI form above.

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