An Online Parenting Intervention for Parents of Adolescents with Mild Intellectual Disability

An exciting opportunity exists for a joint Monash-Warwick PhD candidate to work with a team of experts in parenting, youth mental health, and intellectual disabilities (ID). The project involves adapting and evaluating an innovative evidence-based online parenting intervention, Parenting Resilient Kids (PaRK), for parents of adolescents with mild ID. PaRK is an individually-tailored parenting intervention to help parents reduce their child's risk of depression and anxiety disorders, and has demonstrated promising effects in a randomised controlled trial in Australia. Given the increased risk of anxiety and depression in adolescents with ID, preventive interventions like PaRK may be useful in reducing this risk, and improving the mental health and wellbeing of these adolescents. This PhD project will be jointly supervised by Associate Professor Marie Yap (Monash University, Australia), Professor Kylie Gray (University of Warwick, UK), Professor Richard Hastings (University of Warwick, UK), and Associate Professor Glenn Melvin (Deakin University, Australia). A/Prof Yap is a leading expert in parenting and youth mental health, and has led the development of world-first individually-tailored online parenting interventions for the prevention and early intervention of common mental disorders in children and adolescents. Professor Gray has expertise in the area of developmental disorders, intellectual disability, and autism in children and young people. Her work has included addressing issues around diagnosis and assessment, development of assessment tools, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of children and families, and the development and evaluation of supports and treatments. Professor Hastings is a psychologist with research interests in child and adolescent mental health in populations of individuals with disabilities, and the role of family factors in understanding young people’s mental health difficulties. A/Prof Glenn Melvin is a clinical psychologist and researcher whose work focuses on developing treatments for youth depression and anxiety and novel suicide prevention strategies. He is also recognised for his work developing interventions that support young people who are refusing school. Interested candidates can contact A/Prof Marie Yap (Monash; marie.yap@monash.edu) or Professor Kylie Gray (Warwick; K.Gray.1@warwick.ac.uk).