Melbourne School of Population and Global Health - Research Publications
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ItemSuicide Prevention Research Priorities: Final Report(Centre for Mental Health, University of Melbourne, and Suicide Prevention Australia, 2022)Background and aim: Suicide continues to be a major public health challenge in Australia with significant individual, community, and societal impacts. Targeted and timely research efforts are essential to effectively address this challenge in a rapidly changing world. Building on our earlier research priority setting exercise conducted in 2017, the present project aimed to inform future priorities in Australian suicide prevention research and identify shifts in research emphasis over time. Method: We examined current research priorities in Australian suicide prevention research by reviewing grants and fellowships funded and peer-reviewed journal articles published during 2017-2022, which were categorised according to an existing classification framework. We also surveyed key stakeholders with a known interest in suicide prevention research as to where future research emphasis should be placed and categorised their responses according to the same framework. Replicating the methodology from our earlier exercise, enabled us to contrast current and future research priorities and identify any shifts in research emphasis over time. Key findings: Overall research investment and publication output in Australian suicide prevention research has increased significantly in 2017-2022, with 393 journal articles published and 110 grants and fellowships funded to the tune of $45.1m. This represents more than a quadrupling of total research funding over a 5-year period and a 50% increase in annual publication output compared to our earlier exercise conducted over a 7.5-year period in 2010-2017. Recent research funding efforts are starting to manifest key changes in the types of research called for by stakeholders, while the associated evidence base is yet to fully materialise in publications. Notably, intervention studies (43%) emerged as the most frequently funded study type, while epidemiological research continued to dominate in published articles (59%). Mirroring stakeholder identified priorities, recent grants and publications reflected a relative shift in emphasis away from suicide and a greater focus on suicide attempts. Young people continued to be the most commonly researched target group. While digital and online settings featured strongly in research funding, stakeholders prioritised research in community settings. Four percent of articles and one quarter of grants noted the inclusion of people with lived experience or co-design. Conclusions: The recent boost in national research funding for suicide prevention is encouraging and commensurate with the significant scale of the task ahead to develop the evidence base and more effective solutions to address the persistent public health challenge of suicide in Australia. Research funding efforts are driving key changes in research emphasis called for by stakeholders, including a stronger emphasis on intervention research. While publications are also showing some positive signs, the required evidence base on effective interventions, protective factors, and social determinants is yet to fully materialise in this literature to support practice. To effectively address suicide in Australia in the future, it will therefore be important to maintain the overall thrust and direction of national research investment, coupled with a stronger emphasis on research translation. The present findings suggest that key priority areas for future suicide prevention research should address suicide attempts, protective factors, social determinants, community settings, and interventions, and focus on strengthening effective research translation into practice.
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ItemCommunity suicide prevention networks: A literature scoping review( 2019-05-10)Suicide is a significant concern for the Australian population, claiming the lives of 3128 men and women in 2017. Wesley Mission, through its Wesley LifeForce Suicide Prevention Networks program (Wesley LifeForce program) has been working with the community to support the development of local community suicide prevention networks since 2007. Wesley Mission defines a network as ‘A union of people and organisations, working together to change the outcome relating to a specific problem.’ Networks are further described as being community based and as being ‘for the people, by the people’. In this report, we refer to this notion as ‘community led’. While the aims and objectives of each network vary, reflecting the unique identity of each community, there is a common thread: a focus on interagency cooperation and raising community awareness. Wesley LifeForce network functions typically include activities that seek to: • identify and bring together community participants with an interest or responsibility in suicide prevention, mental health issues and/or mental health promotion • facilitate the exchange of information • co-ordinate suicide prevention activities to maximise impact • encourage sharing of skills and learning • raise community awareness of suicide risk and protective factors and help create pathways
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ItemNo Preview AvailableResearch Priorities in Suicide Prevention: Final Report(Centre for Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 2017)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableResearch Priorities in Suicide Prevention Stakeholder Questionnaire: Interim report(Centre for Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 2017-08-31)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableEvaluating the Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) and Mental Health Services in Rural and Remote Areas (MHSRRA) programs: Final ATAPS and MHSRRA evaluation report(Centre for Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 2017)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableMental health and the NDIS: A literature review(Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, 2014)