Psychology

The impact of the roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons on well-being: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Amanda Krause
This study explores whether tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) can be effectively leveraged to support mental health. By examining how different ways of engaging with D&D influence players’ experiences, the study will elucidate what aspects of the game are most beneficial to players—for instance, character creation or simply being part of a shared narrative—and why that matters. These insights will inform how games like D&D are used in the mental health space and how their designs can be tailored to support social connection, motivation, and personal growth.
Social support for perinatal mental health in Northern Queensland: A pilot randomised controlled trial
Amanda Krause
The Bamboo Parenting Program is an online social support program for first-time mothers in the perinatal period. The program has been designed to prevent and reduce mental illness during this vulnerable period, and by leveraging social support, Bamboo targets one of the most significant predictors of mental health for perinatal women. The program pairs first-time mothers with volunteer mothers or with mother-nominated individuals, with support training provided in program. Pairs work together to navigate the critical and difficult perinatal period. Funding from this seed fund will contribute to the evaluation of a pilot randomised trial in Northern Queensland.
The Bamboo Parenting Program: Promotion of a Randomised Pilot Trial
Amanda Krause
The Bamboo Parenting Program is an online social support program for first-time mothers in the perinatal period. The program has been designed to prevent mental illness during this vulnerable period, and by leveraging social support, Bamboo targets one of the most significant predictors of mental health for perinatal women. The program pairs first-time mothers with volunteer mothers or with mother-nominated individuals (with support training provided in program). Pairs work together to navigate the critical and difficult perinatal period. Funding from this seed fund will be used to promote a pilot randomised trial in North Queensland. JCU College of Healthcare Sciences Research Seed Grants
Mental Health Among Medical Professionals in Foshan City, China (Old ID 22511)
Wendy Li
20 Jan 2016 - 31 Jan 2017
This project aims to investigate mental health among medical professionals in Foshan City, China. The mental health of physicians is now recognised as a serious issue in China after a number of high profile incidences in which doctors have been attacked by patients. Of course, being a high stress occupation, mental health issues caused by professional stress and burnout have always been present among medical professionals. This study seeks to use a mix-methods approach to explore such issues.
Serving the underserved in the tropics: Making a difference with positive psychology (Old ID 25136)
Wendy Li
28 Jun 2019 - 29 Jun 2019
As the first AASP (mini) conference focusing on serving the underserved in the tropics, the proposed mini conference aims to address this gap to promote making a difference in tropical Asia with positive psychology. The themes of the mini conference include: * mental health and psychological wellbeing in the tropics; * projudice, discimination and structural inequality; * individual and community resilience.
A pilot study into the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for improving veteran mental health in North Queensland (Old ID 27280)
Wendy Li
01 Jan 2022 - 31 Dec 2023
This pilot study aims to test the effectiveness of a MBSR intervention on veteran mental health in North Queensland. MBSR is a clinically standardized 8-week group intervention, with one 2.5-hour session each week and an all-day (6 hours) self-retreat session in week 6. It provides systematic training in mindfulness to improve mental health through self-regulating arousal to stress. Fifty veterans living in Townsville will be recruited to participate in the MBSR intervention. To assess the effectiveness of MBSR, a repeated-measures design will be employed, with mental health outcomes being measured at four timepoints.
Examining the clinical utility of MRI for Multiple Sclerosis (Old ID 30051)
Liza van Eijk
15 Jul 2023 - 01 Feb 2024
The aims of this project are to examine whether these quantitative MRI measures derived from clinical scans can assist with 1) characterising the disease severity, and 2) predicting the prognosis of patients with Multiple Sclerosis receiving care at the Townsville University Hospital, as a first step to examine how quantitative MRI measures can be used to assist with treatment planning. The funds will be used to hire a casual research assistant at James Cook University to process the MRI scans on a high performance computing system.
Social Psychology in Mental Health Studies: Showcase of Postgraduate Research in the Asia-Pacific Region
Wendy Li
11 Jan 2024 - 28 Jun 2024
We intend to invite 15-20 postgraduate students and 8-10 academics (including early- and mid-career researchers and senior academics) to join this Asian Association of Social Psychology's (AASP) Small Group Meeting (SGM). The SGM aims to: 1) showcase the achievements of our next generation of social psychology researchers who are working on research in the intersection between social psychology and mental health via research presentations and Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition; 2) Organise a “Research Capacity Building Workshop”; 3) support research students in the Asia-Pacific region to publish papers in this research field via the “Conversations with Editors”; 4) inspire research students via “‘What Next’ Dialogues with Academics”; and 5) promote AASP among research students in Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.
Radio relationships and well-being in older age (Old ID 26687)
Amanda Krause
01 Jan 2020 - 30 Dec 2022
This project addresses a need for non-invasive, cost-effective solutions to assist older Australians in managing their well-being. It aims to examine the role of radio relationships, including those developed between presenters and listeners and amongst presenters, in improving older Australians’ psychosocial well-being. It seeks to explore how the radio can promote individual and community well-being using participatory methods and a multi-phase, mixed methods design. Expected outcomes include evidence relating to the characteristics of listening and production practices that enhance experiences of social connection and social well-being; and substantiating the mechanisms underpinning these benefits. An evidence-based resource will be produced.
Implementation of Quantified Neonatal Brain MRI at Term-Equivalent Age at Townsville University and Cairns Hospital for Infants at High Risk of Adverse Neurodevelopmental Outcomes (Old ID 27559)
Liza van Eijk
01 Jan 2022 - 29 Mar 2027
Infants born preterm, with low birth weight, or whom have a hypoxic event are at risk for developing adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Currently, the timing of MRI is variable at Townsville University and Cairns Hospital’s Neonatal Units, with the infant often being at an age for which anaesthesia is required to undergo an MRI. This project aims to enable neonatal MRI (at term-equivalent age) for infants identified as high risk based, which is safer, less costly, and provides additional information for early personalized treatment plans in comparison to a later MRI (>4 months) - similar to the changes at Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital.

Single valproic acid treatment inhibits glycogen and RNA ribose turnover while disrupting glucose-derived cholesterol synthesis in liver as revealed by the [U-13C6]-d-glucose tracer in mice

From molecule to market: steroid hormones and financial risk-taking

Influence of transgenic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) over-expression on social recognition memory in mice

Protective effects of haloperidol and clozapine on energy-deprived OLN-93 oligodendrocytes

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) over-expression down-regulates hippocampal dopamine receptor protein expression and CREB activation in mice

Bridging the gap between the immune and glutamate hypotheses of schizophrenia and major depression: Potential role of glial NMDA receptor modulators and impaired blood–brain barrier integrity

Severe depression is associated with increased microglial quinolinic acid in subregions of the anterior cingulate gyrus: Evidence for an immune-modulated glutaminergic transmission?

Optogenetics: potentials for addiction research

Reduced density of hypothalamic VGF-immunoreactive neurons in schizophrenia: a potential link to impaired growth factor signaling and energy homeostasis

Transnationalism, social wellbeing and older Chinese migrants

Title: Keynote presentation at the Tails from the Frontline conference hosted by Lort Smith Animal Hospital
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Title: Lecture - Puppy love in the time of Corona
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Title: Presentation - Four’s a Crowd? Attachment styles in childless women and first-time mothers towards their pet dog
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Title: Human-Animal Interactions: A Psychology Pathway
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Title: PhD, University of Western Australia
Reseracher: Brian Law (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
End Date: 01 Jan 2018
Title: MSc, University of Western Australia
Reseracher: Brian Law (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
End Date: 01 Jan 2013
Title: Grad Dip (Science), University of Western Australia
Reseracher: Brian Law (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
End Date: 01 Jan 2012
Title: B.A. Honours Social Science, National University of Singapore
Reseracher: Brian Law (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
End Date: 01 Jan 2010
Title: JCU Human Research Ethics Comittee
Reseracher: Jonathan Connor (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
End Date: 01 Jan 2027
Title: Deakin University Honorary Research Fellow
Reseracher: Sam Teague (Senior Research Fellow)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2023
End Date: 01 Jan 2024