Publications

This paper published in 2020 analyses the content of news media messages on drinking during pregnancy in Australia over an 18-year period to understand whether and how the nature of messages communicated to women has changed over time.

This article discusses the importance of introducing mandatory alcohol pregnancy warning labels in Australia and New Zealand.

The aim of this study published in 2020 was to explore experiences of caregivers of children, adolescents and young adults diagnosed with FASD. More specifically, we examined the relationship between shame, guilt, pride, self compassion and caregiver psychological distress. It was hypothesised that shame, guilt, pride and self-compassion would be uniquely associated with caregiver psychological distress.We also examined differences between biological and non-biological caregivers on these variables. It was hypothesised that relative to non-biological caregivers, biological parents would (i) report significantly higher levels of psychological distress, guilt and shame and (ii) report significantly lower self-compassion scores.

This study published in 2020 reports on a reduction in reported prenatal alcohol exposure in an Aboriginal community setting during a period of prevention activities and provides initial evidence for a community led strategy that might be applicable to similar communities

Researchers partnered with the local Aboriginal health organization and schools to develop and pilot a manualized version of the Alert Program® in the Fitzroy Valley, north Western Australia, a region with documented high rates of FASD and early life trauma. Published in 2020

In a study of 39 children with FASD and 29 comparison children published in 2020, we found that social cognition (specifically recognizing emotions) was the only significant independent predictor of teacher-rated adaptive functioning even after including IQ, executive functioning, and adverse childhood experiences into the model. In this current study, Māori (Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) were overrepresented; therefore, the research was supported by a strong partnership with Te Wāhanga Hauora Māori (Māori Health Service). Aotearoa New Zealand's colonized history is recognized and findings are discussed with regard to both the psychological literature and a Te Ao Māori worldview.